Broken
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: One winter's evening, Sam is returning home from Newtown, when he crashes Mercury. While he's recovering from the physical scars, Sam struggles to cope with the mental ones too. Will Sam ever recover enough to be able to return to the job he loves, or will the results of the Fire Service Disciplinary Hearing force him to be sacked instead? Set between Alien Alert and Series 11.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.  
**

 **AN: This story is a rewrite of a story I wrote earlier this year entitled 'Sam's Accident'. The original story will be deleted shortly. It was rushed, due to undue pressure from certain readers, and there are many flaws in it, which is why I've decided to rewrite it. This rewrite will include many extra scenes that I didn't get to include in the original, owing to the stress and pressure I was under.**

 **THIS STORY WILL BE WRITTEN AT MY OWN PACE, AND ANYONE WHO SO MUCH AS ASKS FOR MORE IMMEDIATELY AFTER A CHAPTER IS PUBLISHED, WILL CAUSE ME TO DELAY ANY FURTHER UPDATES BY A MINIMUM PERIOD OF 30 DAYS! THIS IS MY ONE AND ONLY WARNING!**

Chapter 1

"…And did you see Boyce's face when he fell through that ice?" Leading Fireman Ryan Davies said as I followed him inside the common room at the Newtown Fire Academy. I, and five other leading firefighters from fire stations within the district, were in Newtown to undergo some advanced winter training drills. But, although the day had started well, things had become rather serious after Chief Fire Officer Boyce fell into a frozen lake during a drill. Luckily, the six of us had worked quickly and efficiently together, and the academy nurse had reassured us that Boyce would be fine after a nice warm bath.

"I hope he'll be okay," Leading Fireman Colin Forsythe muttered as he sat down. He'd only recently qualified as a leading fireman, so he wasn't used to dealing with the stress of the job like the rest of us were.

I placed a hand down on Colin's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Colin. You heard what the nurse said."

"I guess this means that we can all go home now," Leading Fireman Scott Driscoll said hopefully as he started to unfasten the Velcro on his uniform jacket.

"Not so fast, Leading Fireman Driscoll!" a voice snapped behind us. Turning, we saw Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes standing in the doorway behind us. "Your training drills aren't over yet. Chief Fire Officer Boyce has instructed me to continue with the planned drills. You have five minutes to collect your BA equipment, abseiling harnesses and your ice shoes. Meet me at the training tower. If you're even one second late, you will do twenty push-ups for every thirty seconds that you're late. What are you all standing around here for? I've already started my stop-watch. Move!"

Once I was outside, I sprinted across the yard to where I'd parked Mercury earlier that morning. I took a moment to clip on my ice shoes before I ran over to the training tower carrying the rest of my equipment. I wasn't the only one who'd decided to clip their ice shoes on, but I was the first to arrive at the training tower. Panting, and with clouds of condensation coming from my mouth with every breath, I lined up in parade formation. Everyone else fell into line alongside me.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes glanced down at his stop-watch. "Not bad, everyone. Err, where's Leading Fireman Forsythe?"

"Coming, sir!" Colin yelled as he sprinted towards up. He wasn't wearing his ice shoes.

"Watch out for the ice, Colin!" I warned, but it was too late. Colin slipped over on a patch of ice, and he went skidding on his stomach straight over to Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes.

"Whoa!" Colin yelped. He skidded to a stop at Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes' feet. "Hehe! Whoops…"

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes sighed heavily. "You're ten seconds late, Forsythe. You know what that means, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Colin muttered glumly. He immediately started doing push-ups in the snow.

At that moment, I noticed a group of about twenty trainees from the academy coming over to us. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes cleared his throat, and he moved away from Colin.

"Now, your next training drill isn't something you'll probably encounter in your lifetime, but you must be prepared for anything unusual. I've invited the trainees to come and watch this drill, because they don't often get the opportunity to see professional firefighters training until they go on probation. I hope you don't let them down. That's enough push-ups now, Forsythe. You may fall in on parade now."

"Yes, sir," Colin muttered sheepishly. He quickly fell into parade.

"Good. Now, as you can all see, the north side of the training tower is coated with ice. That was deliberately done last night just for this exercise. There are an unknown number of training dummies hidden inside the tower. I will now go inside and light a fire somewhere inside the tower. Your task will be to rescue all of the dummies and extinguish the fire. You may not use any ladders or the stairs to access the tower, but you may use north-side abseiling pulleys to get yourselves and any equipment you may need to the appropriate levels. You will also select a team leader from amongst you."

"Sam!" All five of the leading firefighters had spoken in unison, making me blush and glance down at the ground.

"That sounded unanimous," Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes chuckled. "Fireman Jones, when I give the signal, take charge."

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Go and wait behind that building over there. I'll radio you when it's time to start."

As we made our way to our designated waiting place, I considered the task at hand. "Colin, put your ice shoes on," I gently told the young man.

"Oh, right. Of course."

"Are you a bit flustered being in Sam's presence?" Leading Firefighter Alice Williams asked teasingly.

"No!"

My radio crackled into life. "Leading Fireman Jones? You may commence the training drill now."

"Copy that, sir," I replied into the radio. "Right, everyone. I want Alice, Colin, Scott and Ryan in BA gear and harnesses. Adam? I want you to monitor the BA board. I'll go up first with a couple of ropes to pull the equipment up. We'll need hoses, extinguishers and harnesses for the dummies."

"Roger that, Sam!" my friends replied, and they scattered in all directions.

Working together as an organised team, it only took us about ten minutes to complete the entire exercise. We managed to extinguish the fire in less than three minutes, and we were able to rescue all eight dummies, although we knew that if this had been a real emergency, three of the dummies would've been fatalities. It was a sobering thought for all of us as we looked at the dummies laying side-by-side in the snow.

"Well done, everyone!" Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes praised. "You all worked well in difficult circumstances, but most importantly, you worked as a team. Leading Fireman Jones, I'm going to be recommending to Chief Fire Officer Boyce that you be promoted to Sub-Officer at your station. You're too good to be a lead fireman. Your skills would be much better used in a higher capacity."

"With all due respect, sir, I'm not ready for a desk-job yet," I replied.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes chuckled. "You'll still be on the front line, but only during serious emergencies. Someone else at your station can take the leading firefighter exam, and if they pass, they can take over from you."

Alice sniggered. "Good luck with that, sir! Everyone knows that Sam won't accept a promotion without a fight. He's already turned down an offer from Chief Fire Officer Boyce once, and that was for the position of Station Officer in charge of the Rapid Response Unit."

"Yes, you'll have to drag him kicking and screaming into a promotion," Ryan added, winking at me.

"Uh, I wouldn't go quite that far, Ryan," I muttered with embarrassment.

"Why don't you just give him another commendation or a medal?" Scott teased.

"Sir, may I be dismissed?" I asked Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes. "It's getting late, and I need to start heading back home."

"Of course, Sam," Assistant Chief Officer Hughes agreed, dropping the formalities. "All of you may use the showers before you go. You're covered in soot! I'll send reports through to your station officers in the next few days."

We saluted our senior officer before heading inside the main academy building to freshen up.

…

Dusk was just beginning by the time I finally left Newtown aboard Mercury. I was both mentally and physically exhausted, having been pushed to my limits all day. All I wanted to do now was to get home to Pontypandy, check in with Station Officer Steele, and go to bed. I had a twenty-four-hour shift to do the next day, so any amount of sleep would be more than welcome.

Because Newtown and Pontypandy are so close to each other, each fire station operated on different radio wavelengths. Shortly after leaving Newtown, I turned my radio back over to Pontypandy's channel. I was expecting Station Officer Steele to check in with me on my way home. He didn't have to, but it reassured him to know exactly where I was. In many ways, he was like a surrogate father to me.

In the distance, I could see clouds gathering on the horizon behind Pontypandy Mountain, meaning that we were set for another snowstorm to hit us in just a few hours. I accelerated Mercury a little, because I was anxious to get home before the sun set.

The peaceful serenity around me was suddenly interrupted by Station Officer Steele's voice coming over the radio. " _Station Officer Steele to Fireman Sam._ "

"Reading you loud and clear, sir," I replied into my helmet's microphone.

" _Are you on your way back yet?_ "

"Yes, sir. I left Newtown about fifteen minutes ago."

" _Good, because this snowstorm is blowing in quickly. You didn't see Trevor's bus in Newtown, did you?_ "

"No, sir. Did he go there?"

" _Arnold said that he was intending to travel there, because some of the women wanted to go to the post-Christmas sales._ "

"I see. Well, if I see them on my way back, I'll let them know about the storm, sir."

" _Good. Oh, wait. There's an emergency…"_

I maintained radio silence while Station Officer Steele dealt with the incoming emergency callout. It wasn't long before he was back on the radio.

 _"Sam? Are you still there?"_

"Yes, sir."

 _"Mike Flood's van is stuck in a snowdrift near the stone bridge. Do you think you can pull him free on your way back?"_

"Of course, sir."

 _"Excellent! See you soon then. Out._ "

I activated Mercury's siren, and I accelerated again. I knew that Mike would want to get home as soon as possible, just like me, so the sooner I rescued him, the sooner we'd both be home.

As I drove Mercury over a rise in the road, I applied the brakes slightly for the downhill descent. Or rather, I tried to. For some strange reason, no matter how hard I squeezed the brake lever, Mercury's brakes failed to come on. I was going much faster now as Mercury raced out of control down the descent. Seeing the sharp left-hand turn at the base of the slope rapidly approaching, I made the decision to jump clear, rather than try to turn Mercury around the corner at speed, or worse still, crash head-on into the wall.

Leaving it until the last possible second, I jumped off Mercury, throwing myself off to the left-hand side of the road, which didn't have a wall. Unfortunately, I didn't land as well as I'd been hoping to. I landed heavily on the side of the road on my left-hand side. My left arm took the full force of my weight. I heard a sickening 'CRACK!' immediately before I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 2

"Are we there, yet?" Norman whined from the backseat of Trevor's bus.

"Norman! That's enough!" Dilys scolded. "Trevor needs to consecrate* on his driving." (*Deliberate malapropism of Dilys'.)

Trevor chuckled awkwardly. "Thank you, Dilys."

"Hey! What's that up ahead?" Sarah asked, pointing out the front windscreen.

"Why, it looks like smoke!" Bronwyn exclaimed.

"Oh, dear!" Trevor muttered. "We'd better see what's happened."

As Trevor drove over the rise in the road, everyone inside the bus caught sight of a fire at the bottom of the hill. Trevor slowed, and he pulled over to the side of the road, a safe distance from the fire.

"Mrs Chen, please keep the children on the bus," Trevor instructed as he got out of the bus. "Dilys, Helen and Bronwyn, you'd better come with me. We need to find out what's happened. I'll just grab my fire extinguisher…"

"That's Mercury!" James shouted with alarm, pointing at the flaming vehicle.

"Oh, no!" Bronwyn gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "Charlie said that Sam was going to spend the whole day in Newtown today."

"Trevor, you take care of the fire, if you can," Helen ordered, taking charge of the situation. "Bronwyn, come with me. Dilys, phone the fire brigade."

Trevor ran over to Mercury, and he began to extinguish the fire. Helen and Bronwyn didn't have to look too far before they found Sam, lying on his left-hand side on the side of the road, unconscious.

"Oh, Sam!" Bronwyn exclaimed, shocked.

"Don't touch him, Bronwyn," Helen instructed. "I want you to go back to the bus, and see if you can find any blankets on board. We need to keep him warm."

Bronwyn hurried back to the bus. Helen knelt beside Sam, and she gently placed two fingers against Sam's neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

Helen began to examine Sam more closely. She frowned with concern when she saw his left forearm. It was bent at the wrong angle, indicating a severe break, but it was hard to see much else in the fading light. Taking a deep breath, Helen began to gently feel Sam's injured arm. Even she had to wince in sympathy when she felt the break.

 _Please, don't wake up, Sam!_ Helen begged silently. _Not yet, anyway._

…

At the Pontypandy fire station, Station Officer Steele was busy filing some documents, when the Map Screen-700 started bleeping, indicating an in-coming emergency. He pressed the button to listen to the message.

"There is a single-vehicle RTA on the Newtown Road, and it is on fire."

Station Officer Steele frowned with concern. _RTA means a road traffic accident. It must be Mike. I hope Sam has managed to get him to safety._ He slammed his fist down on the red alarm button. "There is a single-vehicle RTA and a fire on the Newtown Road," he announced over the loudspeakers.

Penny, Ellie, Arnold and Elvis left whatever they were doing upstairs, and they slid down the fireman's poles in an orderly manner.

"Ellie and Arnold, take Venus," Penny instructed, taking charge in Sam's absence. "Elvis, you come with me in Jupiter."

The crew followed Penny's instructions. They put on their firefighting uniforms as quickly as they could, and within seconds, they drove their respective vehicles out of the fire station, sirens wailing and lights flashing.

…

Back out on the Newtown Road, Dilys came over to Helen. "The fire brigade are on their way. How is he?"

"Bad," Helen replied softly. "I need some supplies to stabilise him. The last thing I want is for him to panic when he wakes up."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about Sam panicking," Dilys said. "Sam never panics."

"He could if he wakes up in agony and shock," Helen told her firmly. Seeing Sam's radio still clipped to his chest, Helen removed it and she pressed the 'talk' button. "Nurse Flood to Station Officer Steele. Come in, please."

" _Helen? What on earth are you doing on our radio?_ "

"It's Sam's. He's been badly injured after crashing Mercury into a stone wall."

" _What?_ " Station Officer Steele exclaimed, confused. " _But_ _I thought it was Mike's van that was on fire?_ "

"Well, it isn't," Helen snapped. "Now, listen to me carefully. I need someone with medical knowledge to stop in at my place, and grab my large first-aid kit. It's in the cupboard next to the bar fridge upstairs. There's a spare house key hidden under the flower pot next to the back door. I also need them to bring me at least two vials of morphine from the bar fridge. I'll also need them to drive here in my ambulance, so we can transfer Sam to hospital. Do you have anyone who can do that?"

" _Yes! I'll just ask Firefighter Phillips. Ellie? Did you hear those instructions?_ "

" _Yes, sir! We've just arrived at the Flood's house, sir. I'll get those things, and I'll be there shortly._ "

"Thank goodness!" Helen muttered as she put down the radio. Sam stirred a little and he groaned softly. "It's okay, Sam. Help will be here shortly."

Bronwyn finally returned with a couple of blankets, which Helen carefully lay over Sam. Having extinguished the fire, Trevor joined the others.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

Helen shook her head. "I'm afraid we can't do anything until Ellie arrives with my kit. Maybe you and Dilys could go back to the bus to help Mrs Chen with the children?"

Reluctantly, Trevor and Dilys headed back over to the bus. Bronwyn gently took hold of Sam's uninjured right hand.

"He will be okay, won't he, Helen?"

"I won't lie to you. He's is a very bad way. He could have some internal injuries that we don't know about, or maybe even a spinal injury. The sooner we get him to hospital, the better."

At that moment, both ladies heard multiple sirens wailing in the distance.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Bronwyn breathed with relief.

…

Mike was sitting in his van listening to the radio, when he heard the sirens. Getting out, he was surprised to see Jupiter and Venus approaching. He began waving to get Penny's attention. She saw him, but she kept going, as did Arnold in Venus.

"Huh?" Mike was confused. "I wonder where they're off to in such a hurry?"

A few minutes later, Ellie came along driving Helen's ambulance. She slowed down and stopped when she saw Mike.

"Ellie? Why are you driving Helen's ambulance?"

"There's been a serious accident further up the road," Ellie explained. "Sam's been injured. We'll get to you as soon as we can. Are you warm enough?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Okay. Just hang in there, Mike." And Ellie accelerated away, siren blaring.

…

Dull, throbbing pain and intense cold brought me back to my senses, and a groan escaped through my lips. I could hear the familiar sound of several sirens wailing in the distance. They were getting closer. Someone gently placed their hand on my right shoulder.

"Shh… Sam, it's okay." I recognised the voice as Helen's. "Don't move. You've been badly injured."

"How bad?" I asked in a hoarse whisper.

"I'm not sure, but your left arm is broken. Can you feel it?"

I grunted in pain. "Yes… My shoulder hurts too."

"Okay. What about your neck?"

"I'm…not sure." Blinking open my eyes, I looked around. It was almost dark, and a light sprinkling of snow was beginning to fall. "Can you take my helmet off, please?" I asked. "It feels so heavy now."

Helen shook her head. "Not yet. I need to brace your neck first. Penny's coming with the rest of the team. Just try and stay calm. That's what you always tell us to do in a crisis."

"I've just realised that that's a lot easier said than done!" I quipped.

Helen chuckled. "Do you hurt anywhere else? How are your legs?"

I wriggled my toes a little. "I can move my toes, so I think I'm okay there. I'm feeling rather dizzy though."

"You've probably got concussion. It wouldn't surprise me if you do."

Groaning, I closed my eyes. The sirens were a lot closer now, and they were starting to give me a headache. I think Helen realised this, because she picked up my radio.

"Helen to Penny. Can you please make a silent approach?"

" _Copy that, Helen_."

I breathed a small sigh of relief after the approaching sirens were turned off. The silence was strangely comforting.

Minutes later, I heard several vehicles stopping nearby, followed by running footsteps.

"Elvis and Arnold, dowse Mercury in foam to ensure the fire is completely out," I heard Penny say. Then, I felt her kneel down beside me. "Is he…?"

"He's still alive," Helen reassured her. "I asked for a silent approach because the sirens were irritating him. Sorry if my request scared you."

"That's okay."

Someone else ran over to us. "I've brought everything you wanted," Ellie said. "They were exactly where you said they'd be."

I opened my eyes in time to see Ellie hand a large red bag with a white cross on it over to Helen. Venus' and Jupiter's headlights lit up the entire area, making it possible for the rescue team to see what they were doing.

"Thank you, Ellie."

While Helen fumbled around in her first aid kit, I felt Bronwyn gently squeeze my right hand. Turning my head slightly, I smiled reassuringly at her. I'm not sure if she could see it though, because of my helmet.

"You mustn't move, Sam," Bronwyn gently reminded me.

"Right, Ellie," Helen said. "Can you cut off Sam's right sleeve for me, please, while I prepare the morphine?"

After she'd received a pair of scissors from Helen, Ellie moved around behind me. She knelt in the snow beside Bronwyn. "Sorry, Sam, but I'm going to have to wreck your uniform," she apologised.

"I don't care," I muttered. I was beginning to tire due to the shock and the cold.

I was still lying on my left-hand side, so Ellie carefully repositioned my right arm before she began cutting the sleeve of my firefighting jacket. I shivered as a chilling breeze swirled fresh snow all around us.

"I'll go and fetch some more blankets," Penny volunteered. I heard her run over to Jupiter.

Ellie had finished cutting my jacket sleeve off by the time Penny returned with the blankets. I was glad that Ellie had left the sleeve of my station uniform intact, because it provided my shoulder with a little bit of warmth. Helen moved around behind me, and she knelt where she would have easy access to my right shoulder.

"Okay, Sam. I'm just going to give you some morphine, and then we'll get you into the ambulance."

I just whimpered in response. I was in so much pain that I barely even noticed the needle. It only hurt a little when Helen pulled it back out. Bronwyn tucked the blankets around me.

"That should start to kick in in a few minutes," Helen said. "While we're waiting for it to start working, Ellie, can you please help me brace Sam's neck for the journey to Newtown?"

"Of course. What do you need me to do?"

Helen removed a neck brace from her first aid kit. "You have the most important job, Ellie. I need you to support Sam's neck while I remove his helmet and fit the brace. You cannot let him move, understood?"

Ellie must've nodded because I didn't hear her say anything in reply. Helen showed Ellie exactly where to place her hands to support my neck. Once she was satisfied, Helen carefully removed my helmet. I breathed a small sigh of relief once it was off. Helen then secured the brace around my neck.

"Excellent, Ellie!" Helen praised. She glanced over her shoulder. "Elvis and Arnold? Can you please bring over the stretcher from the ambulance?" She looked back down at me. "How are you feeling now, Sam?"

"Hmm?"

Helen slapped the back of my right hand. "Wake up, Sam! I need you to stay awake."

"Tired…" I muttered, and I closed my eyes again.

…

Helen frowned with concern when she saw Sam close his eyes again. "Sam?"

Sam didn't respond. Sighing, Helen felt his neck for his pulse, just as Elvis and Arnold hurried over with the stretcher.

"Is he…?" Bronwyn asked fearfully.

Helen shook her head. "He's just lost consciousness again, Bronwyn. Hurry up with that stretcher, you two. We need to get him to hospital as quickly as possible."

Once Elvis and Arnold had the stretcher in position, they helped Helen, Ellie, Penny and Bronwyn carefully roll Sam onto it. Bronwyn gasped when she saw Sam's left arm flop uncontrollably. It didn't appear to be attached to him anymore. Helen carefully felt Sam's left shoulder.

"It's just dislocated," she explained. "I won't pop it back in now, just in case there's more broken bones that we don't know about. Let's get him into the ambulance. I'll put some padding around his arm once we're inside. That should help cushion it on our way to Newtown."

Minutes later, Sam had been loaded into the ambulance. Helen and Ellie climbed into the back with him, while Penny went and sat at the wheel. As soon as everything was ready, Penny turned on the siren, and she began driving the ambulance towards Newtown.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 3

As soon as the ambulance arrived at Newtown Hospital, Sam was unloaded and whisked away inside the emergency department by a team of EMTs. Helen went with them, so she could provide them with as many details as possible. Penny and Ellie went to park the ambulance out of the way.

"I'm Nurse Helen Flood," Helen said, introducing herself amidst the chaos. "I took care of the patient out in the field, and I'm a friend of his."

"I'm Doctor Brian Fisher," a surgeon replied to Helen as they hurried side-by-side down a hallway behind Sam's stretcher, which was being wheeled by two EMTs. Sam was still unconscious, oblivious to what was going on. "I'm the trauma specialist here. What injuries did you uncover while you were treating him?"

"Compound fracture of the left ulna and radius, and a dislocated shoulder to the same arm," Helen replied. "I didn't want to risk replacing the humerus, just in case that's been broken too. I administered a standard dose morphine before we moved him. He's been unconscious ever since, probably due to mild hypothermia and shock. I don't know how long he was lying in the snow before we found him. There may be a possible spinal injury and concussion too. His neck was braced before we moved him."

"Okay, I think we'd better do a full-body scan and x-rays," Dr Fisher decided. "Take him to the x-ray unit," he ordered the EMTs. They kept going down the hallway with the stretcher. Dr Fisher and Helen paused at a desk off to the side of the hallway. Dr Fisher picked up a clipboard with some paper already attached to it. He removed a pen from his top pocket, ready to start writing "Right, Nurse Flood. I just need some basic information on the patient. What's his full name?"

"Samuel Payton Jones," Helen replied. "He prefers to be called Sam though."

Dr Fisher nodded as he wrote. "Noted. What's his date of birth?"

"I'll have to double-check the year, but I know it's the twenty-first of June."

"I'm sure we'll be able to find the exact date in our records. What's his occupation?"

"Leading Fireman."

Started, Dr Fisher almost dropped his pen. "You don't mean to tell me that's _the_ Fireman Sam we're dealing with?"

Helen nodded. "You've heard of him?"

Dr Fisher almost laughed. "I don't think there's anyone within a hundred miles of this area who hasn't heard of him! Especially after the way he exposed Buck Douglas' scam. That made the national headlines, remember?"

Helen nodded again. "To us, he's just a close friend. You'll find that he's very humble, and he hates being in the spotlight."

"I see… Well, I can't deny that I'm looking forward to getting to know him the way you do. Uh, I just need to know if there are any family members that we need to contact?"

"No, they should all know about it by now. His sister-in-law assisted me at the accident site. I can let you know when his family arrives."

"Okay, thanks. I'd better go and take a look at the x-rays now. Then, I'll decide if we need to operate or not."

"Mind if I come with you?"

"Sure, why not? It'll help you know what to say to his friends and family. I always struggle with telling family members what condition their loved ones are in, because I'm never sure if they fully understand me. I'm glad you'll be able to do that for me this time."

Helen's mobile phone rang as she followed Dr Fisher further down the hallway. After seeing that it was Bronwyn phoning her, she answered it. "Hello, Bronwyn?"

" _Helen! I've just been on the phone to Charlie, telling him what happened. He wants to come to the hospital immediately. Is there any point?_ "

"I think Sam will benefit having someone he knows here with him when he regains consciousness, but I don't know when that will be," Helen replied. "He's undergoing x-rays and scans right now. I'll phone you back once we know more about his condition."

" _Understood. Thanks Helen. The Newtown police are here now, and they're interviewing all of us. We're just waiting for the Serious Collision Investigation Unit to arrive from Cardiff. They'll let us know when we can go home._ "

"I'm sure they won't keep you there for long if you've already provided witness statements. I have to go now. We'll talk again shortly."

Helen hung up her phone as she followed Dr Fisher into the x-ray unit. An EMT handed the x-rays and scans over to Dr Fisher. While he clipped them up in front of a large backlight, Helen went over to where a long, horizontal window separated the x-ray unit into two rooms. The window was there so that people could watch x-rays being taken without being exposed to the radiation. She watched on as the EMTs carefully transferred Sam from the x-ray table back onto the stretcher. He was still unconscious. The EMTs had cut away or removed the rest of Sam's outer clothes, and he was now wearing a hospital gown.

Once Sam was settled on the stretcher, the EMTs began to connect him up to an I.V., EEG monitoring and a few other machines. Knowing that it was all standard routine, Helen turned her attention to the x-rays and scans. What she saw made her gasp in shock.

The broken bones in the centre of Sam's forearm were bent at an angle that was about ten degrees off from the normal, straight a hundred and eighty degrees they were supposed to be at. Although the breaks were reasonably clean, the tips were now overlapping each other in a pattern similar to a basket weave. Hearing Helen gasp behind him, Dr Fisher glanced over his shoulder at her.

"I know it looks bad, but I've seen much worse," he said quietly. "He's extremely lucky the bones didn't pierce his skin or sever an artery. I'm going to have to operate, but not immediately. There is a lot of bruising and swelling around the area, and we need to let that settle down before I operate. Otherwise, there could be complications."

"Of course. I understand. What about his shoulder?"

"We can pop that back into position tonight. There's been no damage to the humerus. It takes a huge impact to break that bone, as you well know. At least replacing his shoulder will help relieve some of his pain. Dislocations often hurt worse that breaks."

"Is there anything else?" Helen asked.

"I've noticed in this brain scan here that he does have a small contusion to the upper left-hand side of his cerebrum. It's only about a centimetre wide, so it's small enough to not be an immediate cause for concern, but it is something that we'll need to keep an eye on. He must've taken the full force of the impact on his left arm, followed closely by his head. Was he wearing a helmet?"

"Of course! Sam always wear a helmet whenever he's doing something risky. I removed his helmet while I was bracing his neck. It's still at the accident site."

Dr Fisher nodded his approval. "No doubt wearing it saved him from a potentially fatal brain injury. Although, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he doesn't remember the accident when he wakes up. Post-traumatic amnesia is extremely common."

"I know. Do you know if there's been any spinal damage?"

"Not from what I can see, which is good news. He may have some whiplash though, but I think it's safe for us to remove the neck brace now."

Helen breathed a sigh of relief. "I must admit I was worried that he might have a spinal injury."

"I know. Let's go and reset his shoulder now, and then we'll get him settled in a room. I'll be happy to let his family visit him then, but only his family, for now."

"I understand."

…

Soft chattering woke me this time, but I keep my eyes closed because I could sense a bright light somewhere above me. I was lying flat on my back now. I could smell something that I recognised, but I couldn't think clearly enough to be able to name it. So, instead, I decided to concentrate on the sounds around me. I could hear several machines beeping, and then a door was opened. I believe two people entered the room I was in. I moaned softly as a spasm of pain shot through my arm.

"Sam? Are you awake?" I recognised Helen's voice again.

I tried to nod, but the brace around my neck prevented any head movement, so I raised my right-hand index finger instead.

"Hello there, Sam," I heard a male voice say. "I'm Doctor Fisher, and I'm looking after you now. You're in the emergency ward of the Newtown Hospital. I'll just dim this light, so you can see." He did so, and I cautiously blinked open my eyes. "Do you recognise this lady?"

Glancing to my left, I saw Helen in my field of vision. "Hi Helen," I whispered. "I'm glad you're still here with me."

Helen smiled slightly.

"We have some good news and some bad news," Dr Fisher continued. "The good news is that there's no evidence of any spinal damage, so we can remove that neck brace now."

I swallowed before I spoke again. "Thanks. Can I have a drink, please?"

"Not yet. I'm planning to operate on your arm within the next eighteen hours, so I'm afraid you can't have anything to eat or drink yet, but I can give you some ice pieces to suck on, if you like."

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Let's get this brace off you first, and then I'll go and arrange it."

Helen gently supported my head while Dr Fisher removed the brace. I sighed with relief once it was gone. Dr Fisher then paged for an EMT. When he arrived, Dr Fisher asked him to fetch some ice for me. The EMT complied.

After I'd quenched my thirst with a couple of ice pieces, Dr Fisher came back over to me. "Feeling better?"

I nodded.

"That's good. Now I'm afraid it's time for the bad news. I need to pop your dislocated shoulder back into place. I'm sorry, because I know how much it's going to hurt you, especially with your broken arm as well."

"Just do it," I muttered. "My arm's gone numb anyway."

"If you need to cry out, just do so. You don't need to be a brave hero right now. I can give you some laughing gas if you think you need it."

"No. Just hurry up and put it back!" I demanded.

"Okay then…"

Dr Fisher took hold of my upper arm, while Helen positioned her hands around my shoulder. Without giving me any warning, Dr Fisher pushed my humerus back into the socket. The clicking sound it made as it went back in was sickening enough, but then the terrific bolt of pain that radiated from my shoulder nearly made me faint. Despite all that, the only sound I made was a pained whimper.

Helen gave my uninjured shoulder a reassuring pat. "It's all over now, Sam. How are you feeling?"

"Sore… Tired…" I muttered, dazed.

"Don't worry. We'll get you settled in a room shortly. Then you can sleep."

I nodded as I closed my eyes. Dr Fisher placed an ice pack against my shoulder, making me flinch.

"The fact that he can feel pain in that arm is an excellent sign," I heard Dr Fisher whisper to Helen.

"No serious nerve damage, you mean?"

"Yes. Let's hope I can say the same thing after his surgery tomorrow."

I must have either fainted or fallen asleep then, because I don't remember anything else that was said after that until I next awoke.

…

Meanwhile, back out on the Newtown Road, the Serious Collision Investigation Unit from Cardiff was just arriving at the scene of the accident. Two units of Newtown police force were already there. They were interviewing everyone still present, including the kids. It had been snowing for a while, and now that it was dark, visibility was poor.

The SCIU parked their 4x4 behind Jupiter, and the team got out. It consisted of three men, and one woman. The unit's leader, Peter Collins, paused for a moment to look at the scene.

"Set up some floodlights," he instructed his team. "Let's get some light on this area before we lose any more evidence. And start taking photographs, especially of the vehicle and the landscape." Peter then made his way over to where Elvis was talking to a constable. "Who's in charge here?"

"I am," the constable replied. "Constable Stevens, from the Newtown branch."

"I'm Peter Collins, SCIU from Cardiff. I believe you called us out here?"

"Yes. Since this accident has involved a fire service vehicle, I thought it was best to do everything properly."

Peter nodded his approval. "No doubt the fire service will want answers quickly then. I'm going to take over the investigation from now on. Do you have all the witness reports?"

"Not yet. We've interviewed everyone here, including the kids. There's one little red-headed kid who keeps demanding to go home, so watch out for him. I know that a nurse and two firefighters went with the victim to Newtown Hospital. We're yet to interview them."

"Do you have the name of the driver?"

"Yes…" Constable Stevens quickly consulted his notebook. "It's Leading Fireman Samuel Jones from the Pontypandy brigade. Apparently, he was alone when the accident occurred, so we don't yet know how it happened."

"I see. Aside from the victim, has anything been moved since the accident?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Although, it has been snowing a lot since."

"That could hamper the investigation," Peter remarked, frowning.

"I drew a diagram of the accident site as soon as I arrived here," Constable Stevens supplied.

"Excellent! Let's see it."

Constable Stevens handed over a sheet of paper. Following the diagram, Peter walked over to where Sam's quadbike helmet was still lying in the snow. He consulted the diagram again.

"Are you absolutely sure that this is where the victim landed?"

"Yes. Every witness has confirmed that. He was found unconscious on his left-hand side."

"Hmm… This is interesting. Have there been any updates on the victim's condition?"

"Not yet. I was told by one witness, who is his sister-in-law, that he has a broken left forearm, and possible spinal damage."

Peter returned to the SCIU's 4x4, and he took out a measuring wheel. He then returned to where Sam's helmet was, and he began measuring out the distance between it and Mercury. Elvis and Arnold watched on quietly as Peter wrote down something in his notebook.

"Uh… Can I ask what you're doing?" Arnold asked shyly.

"Just noting some measurements," Peter replied. "This is just standard procedure. Nothing for you to worry about."

"What do you mean by that?" Elvis wondered.

Peter came over to them. "In all RTAs, we investigate three things: the driver, the conditions at the time of the accident, and the vehicle. We gather as much evidence as we can, so that we can narrow down the possibilities for the cause of the accident."

"And what do you think caused the accident?" Arnold asked.

"It's far too early to tell at this stage, I'm afraid. Now, I do need to carry on with my job. Have you both provided statements to the police?"

"Yes," Elvis and Arnold replied in unison.

"Then I suggest you pack up and go. There's nothing more you can do here tonight."

"But what about Mercury?" Elvis asked.

Peter was confused. "Mercury?"

"He means the four-by-four quadbike," Arnold explained. "What's going to happen to it?"

"We'll take it to Cardiff for expert analysis. It's a write-off now anyway." And Peter returned to his work.

Elvis placed a hand on Arnold's shoulder. "We'd better do what he says."

"Yes," Arnold reluctantly agreed. "I just wish someone would tell us how Sam is."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 4

With the aid of Jupiter's headlights, Arnold secured the hook of Jupiter's tow cable to the back of Mike's van.

"Okay, Elvis!" he shouted.

The snow was falling heavily now, making visibility even worse than before. Elvis was at Jupiter's wheel. He activated Jupiter's winch cable, which slowly dragged Mike's van out of the snow drift.

"Oh, thank you!" Mike said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I thought I might have to camp out in me van all night."

Arnold unfastened the winch hook. Mike couldn't help noticing how despondent Arnold and Elvis were.

"How is Sam?" he asked Arnold.

"He was pretty bad when they took him to hospital," Arnold replied. "His arm is broken, and Helen thinks he might have spinal damage."

Mike inhaled sharply. "I hope he doesn't."

"Me too. Uh, we'll escort you home, so you don't get lost in the snowstorm."

"Thanks."

Mike climbed into his van, and Arnold went over to Jupiter. Elvis opened the door.

"Before we leave, why don't we radio Station Officer Steele and see if he has an update on Sam?" Arnold suggested.

"Good idea!" Elvis agreed. He picked up the radio handset. "Elvis to Station Officer Steele. Come in, please."

" _Reading you, Elvis. What's the situation_?"

"Sam's been taken to hospital, and the police and SCIU are at the crash site. We've just finished rescuing Mike, and we're about to head back. Do you have any updates on Sam's condition?"

" _Not yet, I'm afraid. You probably know more than I do._ "

"Probably," Elvis replied with a sad sigh.

" _You can tell me more about what happened when you get back,_ " Station Officer Steele said. " _Drive carefully._ "

"We will, sir." Elvis put down the handset. "Let's get going, Arnold."

Arnold closed Jupiter's cab door for Elvis, and he went over to Venus. A moment later, Elvis, Arnold and Mike began driving their respective vehicles back home to Pontypandy.

…

"Why doesn't Helen ring?" Charlie demanded to know as he paced up and down inside the Wholefish Café about an hour later. It was now about nine p.m., and Bronwyn had finally returned home with Sarah and James. The children had both been sent to bed after a quick dinner, but Bronwyn doubted they'd be able to get much sleep. They'd been very quiet ever since Sam had been taken to hospital, and it had been difficult for the police to get statements from them. Clearly, they were very upset by what had occurred.

"She will, Charlie," Bronwyn reassured him. "I'm sure she just wants to be sure of her facts before she rings."

"Or maybe Sam has been hurt far worse than what you all think!" Charlie exclaimed. "What if he's-"

Charlie was interrupted by Bronwyn's ringing mobile phone. She immediately answered it.

"Hello, Helen? Hold on. I'll just put you on loudspeaker."

Once Bronwyn had turned on the loudspeaker, she set her mobile down on the table in front of her.

" _Is Charlie with you?_ " Helen asked.

"Yes, I'm right here," Charlie replied, sitting down opposite Bronwyn. "How is he?"

" _He's fast asleep. We're just leaving the hospital now. There's nothing more we can do tonight._ "

"What are his injuries?" Bronwyn asked calmly.

" _Well, the good news is that he's been cleared of any spinal damage._ "

Charlie breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!"

" _I agree,_ " Helen said. " _The thought of Sam being paralysed is not one I ever want to have again. The bad news is that he will have to have surgery tomorrow afternoon to repair his broken arm. It's been scheduled for one o'clock._ "

"Why tomorrow?" Bronwyn wondered. "I thought they'd operate on that immediately."

" _There's too much swelling, so we've covered his arm in ice packs to try and bring it down. We also had to pop his dislocated shoulder back into place. He barely even made a sound when we did that._ "

Charlie chuckled softly. "I can believe that! Sam's always had a high pain threshold. Is that all of his injuries?"

" _Aside from mild concussion and possible whiplash, yes._ "

"When can we see him?" Bronwyn asked.

" _The doctor looking after him, Doctor Fisher, said that you may visit him tonight, but only for about half an hour. He wants Sam to get as much rest as possible, so the less he's disturbed, the better._ "

"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow morning to visit him then," Bronwyn suggested to Charlie. "After all, it's already late, and we all want what's best for Sam. If the doctor wants him to rest, he shouldn't be disturbed. Besides, it's snowing quite badly now."

Charlie sighed heavily. "You're right, Bronwyn. We won't go and see him tonight. Although, I don't know how I'll be able to sleep, worrying about him."

" _I can come with you tomorrow, if you like,_ " Helen volunteered. " _Just for some moral support._ "

"That'd be good," Charlie agreed. "Thank you, Helen. What time should we pick you up?"

" _Eight-thirty. I doubt Sam will be awake when we get there. He needs to get as much sleep as possible to help him heal._ "

"We understand," Bronwyn said. "Thank you for getting back to us. We'll see you again in the morning."

" _Yes. See you then. Bye._ "

"Bye." Bronwyn hung up the phone and she let out a long sigh. "Thank goodness!"

"Yes," Charlie agreed. "Why do I suddenly feel tired?"

"It's just emotional exhaustion and stress," Bronwyn explained. Hearing a soft 'thud', she glanced towards the stairs. Sarah and James were peeking through the doorway, listening. "I sent you two to bed."

"We wanted to know how Uncle Sam is," Sarah replied.

"He'll be okay," Bronwyn reassured them. "He's asleep now, just like you should be. Off you go now."

Sarah and James reluctantly returned upstairs. Charlie frowned thoughtfully.

"I don't think they should come with us tomorrow."

"No," Bronwyn agreed. "Not until we know that Sam's starting to recover. I'll ask dad to look after them."

Charlie's mobile phone rang then, startling him. It took him a few seconds to get it out of his pocket and answer it. "Hello?"

" _Charlie. It's Station Officer Steele here. Have you had any updates on Sam's condition yet?_ "

"Yes. Helen's just phoned. There's no spinal injury, but he'll need to have surgery to repair his broken arm tomorrow."

Station Officer Steele breathed an audible sigh of relief. " _Thank goodness! If a broken arm is the worst of his injuries, he should make a quick recovery._ "

Charlie hesitated before he continued. "From what Bronwyn told me, it's a very bad break. He may be advised to retire."

There was stunned silence for a moment. Then Station Officer Steele spoke again. " _We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I want to see Sam as soon as possible. When are you going to see him?_ "

"Tomorrow morning. We'll leave here at eight-thirty," Charlie replied. "You're welcome to come."

" _Thank you. I'll see you then. Goodnight._ "

"Goodnight." Charlie hung up his phone with a tired sigh. "Let's go to bed now. I'm exhausted."

Bronwyn yawned in agreement.

…

Shortly before nine o'clock the following morning, Charlie drove Bronwyn, Helen and Station Officer Steele into the carpark outside Newton Hospital. After he'd found a suitable place to park, they got out and they followed Helen inside the emergency department.

While Helen went over to the receptionist, Station Officer Steele looked around the waiting room. He was surprised to see a familiar face amongst those waiting.

"Boyce? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Sam, of course. After you rang me last night to tell me what had happened, I realised that I needed to see him for myself. Whoever would've thought that something like this could happen to him? Especially after he did such a good job in the advanced training course yesterday."

Station Officer Steele didn't bother to respond. Instead, he sat down in the empty chair beside Chief Fire Officer Boyce and hung his head in his hands.

"They won't let me see him though," Chief Fire Officer Boyce continued sadly.

"Why not?"

"They're not letting anyone see him yet. Not without the doctor's consent."

Helen, Charlie and Bronwyn joined them then, and they sat down as well.

"They're not letting anyone see Sam yet," Helen explained. "He's probably not awake yet."

"Or they're just carrying out some tests," Chief Fire Officer Boyce suggested.

Charlie paled slightly. "What kinds of tests?"

Before Chief Fire Officer Boyce could reply, he noticed the SCIU enter the waiting room. He nodded towards them with his head. Station Officer Steele, Helen, Charlie and Bronwyn all turned to watch the SCIU as they made their way over to the receptionist.

"Peter Collins from the SCIU. We're here to see Leading Fireman Samuel Jones, who was admitted here last night," Peter said loudly enough for them to hear.

"I'm sorry, but nobody is allowed to see him yet," the receptionist replied. "The doctor on duty hasn't given permission for anyone to see him yet. If you'll just take a seat, I'll see if I can contact him."

With no other option, Peter and the rest of his team sit down in the waiting room. Station Officer Steele watched as the receptionist made a quick phone call. Within seconds, a Caucasian doctor dressed in a white lab coat entered the waiting room. He had a brief conversation with the receptionist before coming over to Chief Fire Officer Boyce, Station Officer Steele, Helen, Charlie and Bronwyn.

"I'm Doctor Fisher," he said, introducing himself. "I gather you're all here to see Sam, is that right?"

They nodded in unison.

"Well, I'm afraid I can only let his family members see him for now."

"This is Sam's brother, Charlie, and his sister-in-law, Bronwyn," Helen said.

"Right. Please, follow me."

"We want Helen to come with us too," Charlie insisted.

Dr Fisher nodded his consent. "Very well. I'm happy for her to come along, if she likes. She was a lot of help to me last night. The rest of you need to wait here. The café should open shortly, so feel free to grab yourselves something to drink, if you like."

Helen, Charlie and Bronwyn followed Dr Fisher down a long hallway, into a quieter part of the emergency department. Before long, Dr Fisher turned left down a smaller hallway and he stopped outside the second door on the right. The hallway was deathly silent, and almost devoid of activity. The only sound made was caused by a nurse leaving another room further down the hallway.

"He was still asleep when I checked on him half an hour ago," Dr Fisher explained quietly. "Try not to wake him. He needs as much rest as he can get before his surgery this afternoon."

Charlie and Bronwyn nodded in agreement. Dr Fisher opened the door, and everyone entered as quietly as possible. The curtains were drawn, making the small room appear dull and drab.

Charlie breathed as sad sigh as soon as he saw his brother. Sam was lying in the middle of his hospital bed, hooked up to three different monitoring machines. He also had numerous ice packs wrapped around his left arm, from his wrist to his shoulder. Aside from that, he looked completely normal. Bronwyn gave Charlie a reassuring hug. Neither of them could take their eyes off Sam.

"He doesn't appear to have changed from last night," Helen whispered to Dr Fisher.

"You're right, he hasn't," Dr Fisher agreed. "But it's only been about twelve hours since he was admitted. You can't expect miracles overnight."

Charlie moved out of Bronwyn's embrace, and he sat down in the chair located on the far side of Sam's bed. He gently picked up Sam's right hand, and he squeezed it a little, taking care not to move the I.V. needle stuck in the back of that hand.

"It's all right, Sam. I'm here now. You'll be okay," he whispered.

…

A sudden sharp pain in my right hand jolted me awake. It took me a few seconds to realise that the pain was caused by someone squeezing my hand. Or rather, the pain was being caused by something inside my hand. I flinched, pulling my hand free from the person squeezing it.

"Did you see that?" I heard Charlie exclaim, but his voice sounded like it was coming from the end of a tunnel.

"I told you not to wake him!"

"I didn't… I mean, I…"

There was complete silence for a moment. During that time, I realised that I couldn't feel my entire left arm. I tried to move it, but I couldn't. Then, for the first time in a very long time, I panicked. I started trembling and hyperventilating, followed by an uncontrollable spasm that made me lash out with my legs. I didn't know it at the time, but in hindsight I realised that it was my flight instinct kicking in. Someone placed a mask over my face.

"Take some deep breaths." I didn't recognise the male voice, but I did as I was told anyway. After I'd taken a couple of breaths, I realised that the gas I was inhaling was nitrous oxide. It only took a few minutes for me to calm down. When I did, I blinked open my eyes and looked around.

I recognised Charlie, Bronwyn and Helen, but I had no idea who the stranger was standing on the other side of my bed. He was wearing white lab coat, and a stethoscope hung around his neck, so I guessed that he must be a doctor. It was then that I realised that I wasn't at home in my own familiar bedroom. I took a quick glance at my surroundings. The room I was in was painted white, with the bed in the centre of it. A large window was on my right, while on my left there was a small kitchen area filled with medical supplies. Opposite the foot of my bed, but in a little nook close to the window was a small round coffee table and two armchairs. Near the main entry door to the room was another door, which I later realised led to a small, private bathroom. A TV screen was mounted onto the wall opposite the end of my bed. Finally, three large monitoring machines flanked my bedhead. Glancing at my right hand, I finally realised what had caused the pain that had woken me. I had an I.V. needle stuck firmly in the back of my hand. Seeing it nearly made me pass out, but the nitrous oxide I was being forced to breathe kept me awake.

Seeing that I had calmed down, the doctor removed the mask from my face.

"Where am I?" I asked, bewildered.

I saw Helen exchange worried glances with the doctor. He leaned over me slightly.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

I thought hard, but most of my memories were scattered like glitter when it's shaken inside a snow globe. Only a few things fell into place, but they were all long-term memories. I cautiously shook my head. The left side of my neck felt very stiff, like I'd pulled a muscle there, or something.

"I don't know," I reluctantly admitted.

"You don't remember anything from last night then?" the doctor probed.

I shook my head again. Bronwyn sniffled softly. She sounded like she was trying to hold back tears. The doctor sighed despondently.

"What's your name?"

"Sam Jones."

"Do you know who these people are?"

"Yes. My brother Charlie, my sister-in-law, Bronwyn, and Helen Flood."

The doctor nodded slightly. "I see. Well, I can tell you that you're in the Newtown Hospital because of an accident you had last night."

A terrible thought struck me as soon as he said the word 'accident'. "Did it happen while I was on duty?"

The doctor was confused. "What?"

"The accident. Did it happen while I was on duty rescuing someone?"

"You were on duty, Sam," Helen explained. "But no, you weren't rescuing anyone at the time."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. A nurse entered the room.

"We need to start getting Sam ready for surgery," she said gently.

A shiver raced throughout my entire body as soon as I heard the word 'surgery'. I'd only ever had one operation before in my life, and that was to remove two impacted wisdom teeth when I was a teenager. I closed my eyes, hoping that this was nothing more than a bad dream. Within minutes, I'd drifted off to sleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As soon as Dr Fisher saw that Sam had fallen asleep again, he motioned for Charlie, Bronwyn and Helen to follow him out of the room. Charlie was very reluctant to leave, until Bronwyn seized him by the hand and practically dragged him out.

"What is wrong with him?" Charlie demanded to know as soon as the door was closed behind them.

"Calm down, Charlie," Helen soothed. "I'm sorry, I should've warned you. We guessed that Sam might suffer from post-traumatic amnesia. It's very common after these kinds of accidents."

"So, will he ever get his memory back?" Bronwyn asked.

"Oh, his long-term memory is fine," Dr Fisher reassured them. "It's his short-term memory that's not quite there right now. Post-traumatic amnesia is like someone's gone and turned a filing cabinet up-side down. Some of the files remain inside, but most get thrown around inside the room. Sam's brain just needs to gather up all the loose files and put them back where they belong."

"How long will that take?" Charlie asked anxiously.

Helen shrugged. "It could be anywhere from the next few days to the next few years. We just don't know. The human brain is the least understood organ in the entire body. It is possible that Sam may never have any memories of the actual accident itself."

"Why not?"

"When we undergo a serious accident or traumatic event, the brain tends to erase those memories permanently," Dr Fisher explained. "It's the brain's way of protecting itself from those bad memories in the future."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Thank you for explaining that."

"What do we do now?" Bronwyn asked.

"Well, you can return home if you like, and come back at about two o'clock this afternoon, or you may stay in the waiting room. It's up to you."

Charlie and Bronwyn exchanged glances.

"I think we'll go home and come back," Bronwyn said. "There's not much we can do if we stay here, and I'm sure everyone will be anxious for news on Sam."

Charlie merely nodded in agreement. Without saying another word, Dr Fisher escorted them back to the waiting room. Helen, Charlie and Bronwyn went straight over to where Chief Fire Officer Boyce and Station Officer Steele were still seated, and they started to talk.

Dr Fisher turned to head back to his officer, when Peter stepped into his path.

"Doctor Brian Fisher?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Peter Collins from the SCIU. I'm in charge of the investigation into the accident involving Leading Fireman Samuel Jones. May we see him, please, so we can get his witness statement?"

Dr Fisher sternly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait. He's in no condition to be answering questions right now. I'm happy to grant you access to him as soon as I know he's well enough for it, but now is not the time. He's being prepared for surgery."

Peter sighed heavily with frustration. "I understand. In that case, can we see the patient's medical records, please? For the investigation, of course."

"I'm afraid I can't let you access that information without proper authorisation," Dr Fisher replied firmly.

Peter opened the briefcase, and he handed over an official document. He waited while Dr Fisher read the document. With a reluctant sigh, Dr Fisher handed the document back.

"You'd all better come with me," he said.

Without saying another word, the SCIU followed Dr Fisher down the hallway until they'd reached his private office. As soon as they were alone inside, Dr Fisher removed a thin file from one of his filing cabinets. Peter frowned when he saw it.

"Is that the only information you have on him?"

Dr Fisher nodded. "I'm not Sam's regular doctor. There might be some older medical records on him in our archives, but the only records I have to hand are from what we've compiled since last night. That's what you have in front of you now. If you want to know more about his medical history, you'll need to discuss that with his doctor"

Peter opened the file. The first document was a basic toxicology report. After studying it for a moment, Peter passed it to one of his colleagues. "Well, we can rule that possibility out to start with. No drugs or alcohol were found in his system."

The next few documents were Sam's x-rays and scans. Peter examined them closely against the overhead light for a moment before passing them on as well.

"What are his injuries?" Peter asked Dr Fisher.

"Compound fracture to his forearm, a dislocated shoulder, a small contusion to his brain, mild concussion and whiplash," Dr Fisher replied. "Oh, and he's also suffering from post-traumatic amnesia."

"Are the injuries all located on his left-hand side?" Peter asked.

"Yes."

Nodding, Peter jotted that information down in his notebook.

"He was lucky, to say the least," Peter's female colleague, Karen Holt, said as she studied the x-ray. She looked at Dr Fisher. "Is this what the operation on him is for? To repair his arm?"

Dr Fisher nodded. "And I need to start preparing for it soon. I also have other patients that I need to attend to, so if you don't mind…?"

Taking the hint, Peter took back the documents from his colleagues, and he returned them to the file. "Thank you for your time, Doctor Fisher," he said as he handed the file back.

Dr Fisher showed the SCIU out of his office. They returned to the waiting room, just in time to see Sam's friends and family leaving. Peter hurried over to them, but he didn't catch up with them until they were outside the hospital.

"Wait! I need to talk to you!"

The group turned to face him.

"I'm Peter Collins from the SCIU," Peter began. He saw Chief Fire Officer Boyce fold his arms across his chest.

"Yes, I know who you are."

Peter smiled slightly. "Yes, I seem to remember crossing paths with you before, Boyce. Something about crashing a pump-ladder appliance into a street sign?"

Chief Fire Officer Boyce bristled. "That was over ten years ago!"

"I don't know why you're getting so hot under the collar, Boyce. You were cleared of that charge."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce seethed crossly. Peter turned to face Charlie and Bronwyn.

"I gather that you're related to Leading Fireman Samuel Jones?"

"I'm his brother," Charlie snapped. "What's it to you?"

"I'm sorry, but I've been assigned to investigate the accident your brother was in. You'd do well to co-operate with me. Can you tell me who your brother's regular doctor is?"

"Sam rarely needs to see a doctor," Helen interjected. "I'm usually the first one he turns to whenever he has a problem with his health."

"I see. And who might you be?"

"Sorry. I'm Nurse Helen Flood. I'm yet to provide a witness statement to the police, but I was the first to attend to Sam after his accident."

Peter's eyes widened slightly. "In that case, I'd like to interview you as soon as possible, please. When would it be convenient?"

"At my place, in an hour. You can't miss it. It's the yellow cottage on the Newtown Road heading into Pontypandy. I can show you all of Sam's medical records too, providing you bring the appropriate paperwork."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. We'll see you in an hour then." And with that, Peter walked away towards the carpark with the rest of his team.

Charlie glowered at Helen. "Why did you tell him you'd show him Sam's medical records?"

Helen sighed. "He's just doing his job, Charlie. He needs to know everything there is to know about Sam, so he can piece together what happened last night. If he's wanting access to Sam's medical records, it indicates that he's wondering if Sam has an underlying medical condition that could have caused the accident. I don't mind showing him the records, because I know there isn't. Come along now, or we'll all freeze if we keep standing around out here."

…

Just over an hour later, Helen was back at home, waiting for the SCIU to arrive. She was glad that Mike was out at the Ocean Rescue Centre repairing something for Ben, so he wasn't likely to disrupt the meeting. She just wasn't too sure where Mandy was, but she suspected that she was off playing with Norman and some of the other children.

The front doorbell rang, and Helen went to answer it. As expected, Peter and the rest of the SCIU were standing on the front doorstep.

"Come in and make yourselves comfortable," Helen invited. "Would any of you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes, please" Peter replied as he sat down. "Hopefully, we won't need to be here for too long."

Helen set a prepared tea tray down on the coffee table before she also took a seat. She started pouring out the tea. "I hope you've brought the paperwork?"

"We have," Peter replied, and he handed it over to Helen. Helen read through it carefully before handing it back to Peter.

"I'll just go upstairs and fetch Sam's medical records."

"I'll finish pouring out the tea, if you like," Karen volunteered.

"Thank you." And Helen hurried away upstairs to her private office.

Minutes later, Helen returned downstairs with a large ring-binder folder, which she handed to Peter.

"Thank you. How often does Leading Fireman Jones come to you for medical treatment?"

"Whenever he needs it, which isn't often. I think the last time I actually treated him for anything was when he came down with a cold last winter. He was over it in a matter of days though."

"Would you say that, generally, he's quite fit and healthy?"

"Definitely! He wouldn't be able to do his job if he wasn't."

"I can see that you've kept copies of his annual fire service medical exams," Peter remarked. "And you've passed him on all of them with flying colours."

Helen nodded. "He's never had any problems passing any of the standard tests."

"What about the non-standard ones?" Karen asked.

"I'm only allowed to conduct standard tests on him. Other tests need to be carried out by specialists," Helen replied.

"What are the 'standard tests'?" one of the other SCIU officers, Michael Taylor, asked.

"A basic blood test, which we also use to screen for drugs and alcohol; heart and lung examination, a balance test, a fitness test, hearing and eyesight tests, and a blood-pressure check," Helen explained. "Even though I'm good friends with everyone in the Pontypandy brigade, I would never falsify an official report. If I found anything abnormal with any of them, I would immediately notify the senior fire service medical officer in the district, and let him decide if the firefighter should be allowed to continue doing their job."

Karen smiled kindly at Helen. "You can relax, Nurse Flood. You're not the one under investigation here. I grew up in a small country town like Pontypandy, so I know what it's like. Everyone is friends with everyone, and there's very little privacy."

Peter exhaled deeply as he tossed the document he was reading down on the coffee table. "Well, I still can't find anything wrong there. He's up-to-date on all his medicals, vaccinations, and he has no underlying medical conditions."

"What about fatigue?" Michael suggested. "Even the fittest people suffer from it, so maybe he was driving while he was fatigued."

"Hmm… That is a strong possibility," Peter mused. "Maybe it's time for us to shift our focus. This seems to be a dead-end." He took out his notebook and crossed something out. "At least we can safely say that no medical conditions caused this accident." He handed the folder back to Helen. "Thank you, Nurse Flood. Now, we need to get your witness statement. I must advise you that everything you say will be recorded to be used as evidence."

Helen nodded in understanding.

…

A few hours later at the Newtown Hospital, Dr Fisher was scrubbing up in preparation for Sam's surgery. He took his time, pondering what he needed to do. While it was a straight-forward operation, it did have its risks. One mistake, and Sam could lose the use of his arm. Dr Fisher focused on washing the disinfectant off his hands and forearms. He was trying not to think of Sam as the local hero, but as just another person who needed his help.

Taking a deep breath through his facial mask to steady his nerves, Dr Fisher made his way into the operating room. He entered just in time to see a team of EMTs transferring Sam from his bed onto the operating table. Sam was still asleep. Now that he was in the operating room, Dr Fisher's professionalism came to the fore, and he forgot about his nerves.

Dr Fisher went over to his anaesthetist, Dr Wyatt. "I'm ready when you are."

"Same. Do you want to wake the patient up before I anaesthetise him, or should we do it while he's still asleep?"

Dr Fisher glanced down at Sam, considering the options. "Let's try and wake him, just to ensure he hasn't slipped into a coma." He gave Sam a gentle shake. "Sam? Sam, can you hear me?"

Sam moaned a little, and his eyelids fluttered for a moment, but there was no other response.

"He's in REM stage sleep," Dr Fisher reported.

"Good," Dr Wyatt replied. "I don't like anaesthetising patients who are completely unconscious. I know it can be done, and I've done it before, but I just don't like to do it."

Dr Fisher nodded in understanding. After double-checking his machine, Dr Wyatt placed a mask over Sam's face. "I'm starting the anaesthetic now."

While Dr Wyatt monitored Sam's vitals, Dr Fisher put on a pair of sterilised latex gloves, and he ensured that he had all the tools and equipment he needs within reach. Two of his assistants carefully stretched Sam's broken arm out so that it was lying on a smaller table adjacent to the main operating table. That way, it would be easier for them to operate on the broken arm. They then covered Sam's broken arm with a green sheet that had a hole deliberately cut in the middle of it. The hole was just large enough for Dr Fisher to operate though.

"The patient is now fully anaesthetised, and all vital signs are normal," Dr Wyatt reported.

"Excellent. Then let's get started." And with that, Dr Fisher selected a scalpel. He placed it against the skin of Sam's forearm, ready to make his incision.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 6

A raging thirst brought me back to consciousness quite suddenly. Moaning, I licked my dry lips. Someone gave my right hand a small, gentle squeeze.

"Easy Sam," Charlie's familiar voice soothed. "You've just come out of surgery."

"Water," I begged in a hoarse whisper.

A straw was pressed against my lips. I immediately began sipping the sweet water through the straw. While I was drinking, I opened my eyes to find that it was Charlie holding the cup of water for me.

The door opened, and the same doctor I'd seen earlier entered the room, followed by Bronwyn.

"When did he wake up?" the doctor asked.

"Less than a minute ago," Charlie replied. "I did exactly what you told me to do."

"Good." The doctor looked down at me. "How are you feeling now, Sam? Besides being thirsty, that is."

A series of shivers raced throughout my body, making it impossible for me to answer immediately. After I'd finished draining the cup, I glanced at my left arm. It was no longer numb, although it did feel a little sore. Aside from that, it seemed to be okay, although though it was now encased in a red fibreglass cast from my wrist all the way up to the middle of my upper arm. The cast held my lower arm horizontal to my body, but an overhead sling kept it about ten centimetres above my chest. That kept it supported in a comfortable position without having the weight on my chest. An ice pack was taped around my left shoulder as well. I frowned as fragments of recent memories started to fill my mind.

"I was in an accident, wasn't I?" I asked slowly.

"Yes," the doctor confirmed, smiling a little. "Can you remember it?"

I shook my head slightly.

"What's the last thing you do remember?"

"I remember Helen saying that I was in an accident while I was on duty, but nobody else was hurt. What did happen?"

The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Not yet, anyway." He sat down in a chair beside my bed. "Do you remember who I am?"

I shook my head again.

"That's okay. My name's Doctor Fisher, and I've been taking care of you since you were admitted here yesterday evening. You've sustained some pretty nasty injuries, but the worst ones are a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder and a small contusion to your brain."

"Is that why I can't remember things?"

"Mostly, yes. You have post-traumatic amnesia, which is why you think you've forgotten many things. But don't panic. If you can't remember something today, you'll probably remember it tomorrow. I should let you rest now, but you have two visitors who are anxious to see you. Do you feel up to seeing them?"

"Depends on who they are," I muttered. I really wanted to go back to sleep.

"It's Chief Fire Officer Boyce and Station Officer Steele," Bronwyn informed me.

"Oh. I think I'd better see them."

"Sam, you don't have to if you don't feel up to it," Charlie said.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired, that's all."

"I'll give them five minutes only," Dr Fisher decided, and he left my room.

A moment later, Station Officer Steele and Chief Fire Officer Boyce entered. I saw Station Officer Steele breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that I was awake.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" he asked me gently.

 _I wish everyone would stop asking me that!_ "Tired and sore mostly," I replied, trying hard not to show my irritation.

"We're just glad that you're going to be okay," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said.

"I just wish I could remember what happened…" I couldn't stop the yawn that came over me. Once it was over, I closed my weary eyes.

"Oh dear," I heard Bronwyn whisper. "I think we've worn him out now."

"It's just the anaesthetic," Dr Fisher explained. "It will take a few more hours for it to completely leave his system."

I heard a pager beep. "Sorry," Chief Fire Officer Boyce apologised. "I'm needed back at the station. Keep me updated on his progress."

I didn't even hear Chief Fire Officer Boyce leave.

…

When Chief Fire Officer Boyce arrived back at the Newtown Fire Station, he found the SCIU waiting for him, along with Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes. Peter stepped forward to greet him.

"I can guess what you're here for," Chief Fire Officer Boyce muttered. "Let's go into my office."

When everyone was settled in Chief Fire Officer Boyce's office, he closed the door before sitting down at his desk.

"Now, what can I do for you?"

"We've been investigating the possible causes for the accident involving Leading Fireman Samuel Jones," Peter began. "So far, all of our leads have ended in brick walls, so we're hoping you may be able to help us more."

"We'll do our best," Chief Fire Officer Boyce replied.

"Thank you. How long have you known Leading Fireman Jones?"

"I think I first met him when he was about five years old. I used to be the Station Officer in Pontypandy many years ago, so I saw him grow up. In fact, I helped him apply for his initial training in Cardiff."

"I've only known him in a professional capacity," Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes added.

"I see. And what do you both think of him, as a person?"

"He's one of the best firefighters in the district, if not the best," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said. "As a child, he was rather mischievous, but ever since he joined the fire service, he's always conducted himself professionally. I've rarely had to scold him, and I've never seen a bad report on him."

"Likewise," Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes added. "I've never heard a bad word spoke against him. He's considered a hero in these parts, although he does tend to shy away from commendations and awards."

Peter raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Do you know why?"

"He isn't comfortable wearing the hero status," Chief Fire Officer Boyce explained. "There have been several occasions where he has refused to accept a bravery medal from the fire service, so we now tend to surprise him with them in public. That way, he's forced to accept them, whether he likes it or not."

"Does he have any limitations or weaknesses?" Karen asked.

"Not that I can think of. You'd be better off asking Station Officer Steele that question. He knows Sam far better than we do."

Karen nodded, and she wrote down a reminder in her notebook.

"What was Leading Fireman Jones doing here in Newtown on the day of the accident?" Peter asked.

"He was here for some advanced winter training drills," Chief Fire Officer Boyce replied. "We like to test the leading firefighters in the district at least once a year. It helps keep them up-to-date with the latest firefighting techniques."

"It also keeps them on their toes," Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes added.

"I understand," Peter said with a slight nod. "Now, did Leading Fireman Jones seem fatigued at any stage during the drills?"

"No," Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes replied. "He was alert and enjoying all of the drills we challenged him with."

"Did he find any of the drills too challenging?" Karen asked.

Boyce and Hughes exchanged glances. "I don't believe so," Chief Fire Officer Boyce answered. "Sam is the type of fireman who is comfortable saying when we're pushing him beyond his limits. He would've said if he was feeling incapable of continuing with the drills."

Peter glanced at his colleagues. Karen sighed. "I think we'd better wait until Leading Fireman Jones is well enough to talk to us, before we try and continue with this investigation," she suggested. "We're just hitting more brick walls."

"I agree," Peter replied. "We're also awaiting the mechanic's report on the vehicle involved." He turned his attention back to the fire officers. "Thank you both for your time. We'll be in touch again, hopefully soon."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce gladly showed the SCIU out of his office.

…

When Station Officer Steele arrived back at the fire station, it was early evening. He found the other firefighters in the Control Room, waiting for him. They immediately began bombarding him with questions.

"Did you get to see Sam?"

"How is he?"

"Did they say when he'll be able to return to work?"

Station Officer Steele held up his hands for silence. "The answers are, yes, I did see him for a few minutes. He was awake, but very tired after his surgery. And no, his doctor didn't say when he'll be able to return to work. That'll be up to a fire service doctor to decide anyway."

"When can we go and see him?" Penny asked quietly.

Station Officer Steele frowned thoughtfully. "I'll give the hospital a call in the morning, and we'll see what Sam's doctor says. But we won't all be able to go and see him at once. Some of us will have to stay here to man the station. Now, please remember that you all have jobs to do, and I don't want Sam's absence to make a difference in how this station is run. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

…

It was night time when I next awoke. The lights in my hospital room were off, but I could see light outlining the door, so I realised that the hall light was on. The machines monitoring my vitals were humming and beeping away, and the lights from them cast an eerie haze of coloured lights around the interior of the room. Feeling restless, I tried to sit up, but I found I really didn't have the strength. So, instead, I pressed the largest button on the control panel clipped to the side rail of my bed. A moment later, a nurse entered my room, and she turned on the lights.

"Do you need anything, Sam?" she asked kindly.

"I just want to get up for a while, please."

Still smiling, the nurse shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that yet. Doctor Fisher wants you to stay quiet for now." She picked up my chart and she read it carefully. "I see you're due for some more pain medication anyway, which is probably why you're feeling restless. That should help settle you. Are you in any pain right now?"

I shook my head. "I have a high pain threshold."

"That explains a lot." The nurse put my chart back, and she went over to the kitchenette adjacent to my bed.

"What time is it?"

"Just after midnight. I'm Nurse Gilbertson, by the way. I'll be your regular night nurse from now on." While she spoke, I saw Nurse Gilbertson preparing an injection. I knew what was coming next.

Sure enough, Nurse Gilbertson brought the needle around to my right-hand side. I instinctively braced myself for it, but she put the needle in my shoulder so gently that I didn't even feel it.

"There now," she soothed. "All done. I'll just change your I.V., and hopefully by then the morphine will have started taking effect."

"Thanks for not hurting me," I muttered as I settled back down.

"I used to work in the children's ward," Nurse Gilbertson explained. "So, I know how to be gentle."

She must've seen that I was starting to drift off, because she didn't say another word. Once she'd finished changing my I.V., I heard Nurse Gilbertson write down some notes on my chart. When she had finished, she turned out the light and closed the door. It took several minutes before I drifted back off to sleep again.

…

 _It was a beautiful winter's morning, and I was preparing to drive Mercury to Newtown for some routine winter training. I'd just finished loading all of my gear into Mercury's locker, when Station Officer Steele came over to me._

 _"Are you looking forward to spending the day in Newtown, Sam?"_

 _"I am, actually. It'll make for a nice change. It's been unusually quiet around here, lately."_

 _"That's probably because Norman is staying with Derek and his aunt Phyllis for a few weeks."_

 _I smiled. "Now you tell me! I wondered why it's been so quiet."_

 _"And that's the only reason why I'm happy to let you go to Newtown today. Drive carefully, and stay safe."_

 _"I will, sir. I just need to refuel Mercury, and then I'll be on my way. I hope you have a quiet day."_

 _"Oh! Thank you, Sam. I'm looking forward to it!" He turned and walked through the engine bay. "Criddlington! I hope you've got the kettle on…"_

 _Chuckling, I picked up a jerry can, and I carried it over to Mercury. Once I'd refuelled her, I put the jerry can back in its locker. Then, once I was sure I had everything Chief Fire Officer Boyce had asked me to bring, I climbed onto Mercury, and I rode away._

…

Hunger pains woke me about seven hours later. I was feeling extremely restless now, so I attempted to sit up again. This time, I managed it, but I found the overhead sling annoying. I was just about to remove my arm from it, when a different nurse entered my room.

"Hold it right there, Sam!" she ordered. She pressed a button on her pager, before she came over to me. "You're not ready for action yet."

"But I'm tired of lying here, and I'm hungry," I protested. Dr Fisher entered my room in time to hear the end of my sentence.

"Fetch him some jelly and some soft fruit, please, Nurse Jenkins," he instructed. She left the room, leaving me alone with Dr Fisher. Without saying another word, he pressed a button on the control panel, and the upper end of my bed lifted itself up, enabling me to lean comfortably against it. "How does that feel now?"

"Better, thank you."

"That's good." He sat down in the chair beside my bed. "Now, you and I need to have a little chat…"

 _Uh oh..._

"Your surgery yesterday went as well as to be expected. You're lucky the bones broke cleanly. It made my job a lot easier." And he smiled kindly. "I managed to insert a couple of titanium pins into your broken bones. They'll have to stay in there for the rest of your life, but once the bone has healed, you won't even know they're there. I used dissolving stitches to close the incision I made, so they should dissolve in about two weeks. I doubt you'll be left with a scar."

I shifted around restlessly again.

"I take it that you're starting to feel a lot better now, right?" Dr Fisher asked.

"Much better. Can I get up for a while, please?"

"Not today. Tomorrow, perhaps, if you sleep well tonight. I'm glad you're feeling more alert, because it means that you're well on your way to recovery. But, it also means that you're also going to start putting stress on your injuries. You won't feel it yet, but you will once we've weaned you off the morphine."

"I understand." I tried to settle down and stay still. "How long do you think it'll be before I'll be able to return to work?"

"I can't give you an answer on that, I'm afraid. Most broken bones take six to eight weeks to heal, even with surgery, but it'll be up to your superiors to determine when you'll be fit enough to return to work."

I sighed despondently. "I wish I could remember what happened."

"You still don't remember anything then?"

"No… Not about the accident anyway."

"That's okay. Don't strain your brain by trying to remember. It'll come back to you when you're ready. Do you feel well enough to talk to the SCIU today?"

I hesitated. _What can I tell them? I don't remember anything._ "I suppose I could, but I don't think I'll have much to say."

"Don't worry. I've already told them that you have post-traumatic amnesia. I can be here when they interview you though, and if I can see that they're upsetting you, I'll make them stop."

I nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll speak to them."

Nurse Jenkins returned then, carrying a tray of food, which she set down on a wheeled table beside my bed. She then slotted the table over my bed, enabling me to eat while sitting up. I immediately began eating the grapes.

"I'll go and make some phone calls now," Dr Fisher decided. "Oh, Nurse Jenkins? After Sam has eaten, please disconnect the EEG monitoring from him. And, if he's feeling up to it, you may assist him with a bath. I'll tell the SCIU that they may visit Sam any time after ten o'clock."

I glanced awkwardly at Nurse Jenkins. I wasn't too comfortable about the idea of having someone help me bathe, but I knew I didn't have much choice. I hadn't been this helpless since I was a child.

"Could Charlie help me with my bath instead of Nurse Jenkins?" I asked.

"You don't need to be shy," Nurse Jenkins replied kindly. "But if it helps you feel more comfortable, I can ask a male nurse to assist."

"I'm happy with that, thanks," I agreed.

Nodding his approval, Dr Fisher left my room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 7

Peter Collins breathed a sigh of relief as he hung up his mobile phone. He then straightened the papers on the desk he was using in the Newtown Police Station. Karen Holt entered the room.

"Any updates?" she asked as she handed over a document.

"Yes. I've just received a call from Doctor Fisher. He said that we may visit Samuel Jones after ten a.m. today."

"Do you think he'll be well enough to answer our questions?"

Peter stood up. "There's only one way to find out. Bring your recorder and notebook. I'll summon the others. I want to have a briefing about what questions we're going to ask Mr Jones before we go to the hospital. I have a feeling his doctor won't let us stay for long, so we'll have to be careful which questions we ask. We need to find out as much as possible, so we can continue with the investigation."

…

After my personal needs had been attended to, I returned to my hospital bed. The sheets had been changed while I was having my bath, so I felt very refreshed as I settled back down on it. Even moving that short distance from the bathroom to my bed had exhausted me. I was watching TV, when Dr Fisher entered my room, followed by four strangers. I promptly turned off the TV.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" Dr Fisher asked me.

"A lot better, thank you. I presume this is the SCIU?"

One of the men stepped forward. "I'm Peter Collins, head of this SCIU team. We've been anxious to talk to you about your accident."

I just sighed tiredly in response. Peter's colleagues made themselves comfortable at the table in the corner, while Peter sat in the chair beside my bed. Dr Fisher picked up my chart, and he started to update it.

I saw the female SCIU team member place a small recorder down on the coffee table in front of her. "My name's Karen Holt. Since you haven't been able to give a formal witness statement to the police, we're going to record this interview. Are you comfortable with that, or would you prefer to have your lawyer present as well?"

I frowned thoughtfully. I didn't have a lawyer, but I did need to have an impartial witness. I nodded at Dr Fisher.

"Doctor Fisher can be a witness for me," I said.

Nodding, Dr Fisher replaced my chart in the slot at the foot of my bed, and he went and stood behind Peter. Karen started the recorder, and she spoke into the microphone.

"SCIU interview with Leading Fireman Samuel Jones, the driver of the fire service 4x4 quadbike that crashed and caught fire on the Newtown Road on the evening of the fourteenth of January 2017. Present at the interview are Peter Collins, Karen Holt, Michael Taylor and Patrick Smithers from the Cardiff SCIU, and Doctor Brian Fisher. Current time and date is ten-sixteen a.m. on the sixteenth of January 2017. Leading Fireman Jones, I must warn you that anything you say from now on will be recorded and may be used as evidence against you. Do you wish to proceed with this interview?"

"Yes," I consented.

Peter opened his notebook. "I understand that you've been in the fire service for many years, is that correct?"

I nodded. "It's been my life's career. I couldn't imagine doing anything else."

"How familiar were you with the 4x4 quadbike?"

"I've been Mercury's regular driver for five years."

"Sorry, Mercury?"

"All of our fire appliances have nicknames," I explained. "They're all astrological names. Mercury is the name of the 4x4 quadbike."

Peter smiled, and he wrote that down. "I see… I understand that you're something of a hero in these parts, is that right?"

I glanced down at my broken arm, which was now resting on a pillow beside me. "I've always done my job to the best of my abilities," I replied in a low voice. "I wouldn't call myself a hero though."

I saw Peter glance at his colleagues. Then, he glanced back down at his notebook. "What happened after you left Newtown on the day of the accident?"

I stared straight at Peter. I'd known that question would be asked, but I wasn't expecting it quite so soon. "I don't know."

Peter didn't look surprised by my answer. "Do you remember anything that occurred that day?"

Fragments of the flashback dream I'd had the night before returned. I spoke slowly while I gathered the fragments together. "I remember…preparing my equipment, and Mercury…and saying goodbye to Station Officer Steele…"

That seemed to surprise Peter, because he immediately made eye contact with me. "What did you do to prepare Mercury?"

I thought hard for a moment. "Just what I normally do every morning, after I sign on for duty. I checked the oil, tyre pressures and brake fluid before I put my firefighting equipment in the locker. Then, I refuelled Mercury and I left."

"Did anything seem abnormal to you?" Karen asked.

I shook my head again. "I don't think so. I don't really remember what happened after I left the fire station."

"Do you remember anything that happened while you were in Newtown?"

"No. I don't even know why I was in Newtown."

I saw Peter frown as he made some notes in his notebook. "How many times would you go to Newtown in an average year?"

"Probably at least five times." I closed my eyes tiredly. "Depends..."

"On what?" Karen prompted.

"…Whether or not I'm needed there…"

There was silence for a moment, then I felt Dr Fisher shake me gently. "Sam? Have you had enough?"

"For now," I muttered sleepily. "I just want to sleep."

"Okay. Sorry, Peter, but I'm afraid I must ask you to end the interview here. Sam is far too tired to continue."

"Understood," Peter reluctantly agreed.

Karen spoke into the recorder's microphone. "Current time is ten twenty-eight. Interview terminated based on doctor's advice. Persons present are the same as stated at the beginning of this recording."

I heard Karen stop the recorder. Then, I listened as everyone quietly left my hospital room. Once the door had closed, I snuggled down under my blankets to sleep.

…

"Well, how do you think that went?" Peter asked as he got into the driver's seat of the SCIU's 4x4 that was parked in the hospital's carpark. His colleagues climbed in quickly to get out of the cold winter's wind that was blowing outside. Once the doors were closed, Peter started the engine, and he turned the heat on. But he didn't start driving.

"I think he could've continued answering questions for a bit longer," Karen replied. She did up her seatbelt. "But, we agreed to stop as soon as Dr Fisher asked us to."

"Yes… I got the impression that he knows more than what he was willing to tell us. I think he pretended to be exhausted so that we'd be forced to stop." Peter said.

"What do you think, Patrick?" Karen asked. "You've been very quiet throughout this investigation."

"That's because I like to have all the facts in front of me before I draw my conclusions," Patrick replied. "I know you haven't said it, but your mannerisms indicate that you think Samuel Jones is guilty in some way. We haven't yet had the vehicle report, so I think that until we have all the facts we can get, we mustn't jump to conclusions."

"I know," Peter agreed. He sighed heavily. "But Sam may never remember everything that happened to him. I wish there was a way we could get inside that mind of his…"

"We could always try hypnotising him," Michael suggested. "I've heard of it being used before with people who have amnesia. The memories are there, they just need to be brought into focus. Hypnotism can do that."

"The only problem with that is that Sam's going to have to remember what he's said in his witness statement if he's ever brought to trial," Karen pointed out. "Hypnotism evidence won't stand up in a court of law."

"It can sometimes," Peter mused. "But that's always under extreme circumstances."

"I guess we'll just have to keep waiting until Sam's feeling well enough to present us with a full witness statement," Karen sighed. "Did anyone pick up on any significant leads?"

"The fact that he refuelled the vehicle before leaving caught my attention," Michael said. "I wonder if he did something wrong there?"

"If he's been driving the vehicle for five years, as he said, I doubt he'd make a mistake like that."

"Depends if he regularly services the vehicle," Karen pointed out.

"He said he did," Patrick said. "He said he regularly serviced the vehicle every morning after he signed in."

Karen and Peter sighed heavily with frustration.

"Perhaps it's time I asked Boyce for access to Samuel's service records," Peter mused.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Karen agreed. "That may reveal something about him that we haven't been told yet. Let's stop by the fire station again now."

Nodding, Peter put the 4x4 into gear, and he drove out of the hospital's carpark.

…

At the Pontypandy fire station, Sam's colleagues were settling down to have lunch after spending most of the morning doing training drills.

"Sir," Penny ventured. "Could we go and visit Sam this afternoon, please?"

Station Officer Steele sat down at the kitchen table before he replied. "Well, I phoned the hospital earlier, to see if Sam is well enough for more visitors, and his doctor said that although Sam is tiring easily, he can have visitors for short periods only. But, I can only afford to let two of you visit this afternoon. Penny and Arnold may visit Sam this afternoon. Elvis and Ellie may visit him tomorrow."

"Can we take Radar along too?" Arnold asked. "He's pining for Sam, and I'm sure Sam must be missing him too."

"I don't see why not," Station Officer Steele agreed. "Just make sure he behaves himself, or he won't be allowed back."

"Don't worry," Penny said as she stroked Radar affectionately. "I'm sure Radar will behave once he sees Sam."

…

It was just after one o'clock in the afternoon, and I was in the process of finishing my lunch, when Dr Fisher entered my room, carrying some files.

"Nice to see that you're eating normally," he said. "Are you still feeling tired?"

"Not really. The nap I had earlier helped. Can I get up again this afternoon, please?"

Dr Fisher sighed in defeat. "All right… But only because you've been progressing so well. Just stay in your room for now though. With any luck, you should be well enough to go home in a few days."

"I don't suppose I could change into my pyjamas? They'd be a bit more comfortable than this gown."

Dr Fisher smiled. "Yes, I can allow that. Do you have them here?"

"No. I'll have to phone Charlie and ask him to bring them. Do you have my mobile phone?"

"I gave your personal possessions to Charlie for safe-keeping. You may use the hospital phone though. Here." And he handed the room's cordless phone over to me. I dialled Charlie's number.

Minutes later, everything had been sorted out. Charlie agreed to bring some of my personal clothes and possessions to the hospital later that afternoon. With nothing better to do, I started watching TV again.

About an hour later, Charlie arrived. He smiled when he saw me watching a British comedy.

"Feeling better, Sam?"

"Much better. Did you bring everything I asked for?"

"Yes. I've even brought along some rock cakes that Bronwyn made especially for you."

"Rock cakes? Now you're just spoiling me!"

Charlie chuckled. "Come on! Let's get you out of that horrible hospital gown. I'll just ask a nurse to disconnect your I.V. while you change."

"Thanks."

Before long, I had changed into my pyjamas and dressing gown, and I was sitting with Charlie in the little nook where the armchairs and coffee table were. Because of the drip, I couldn't put my right hand through the sleeve of my dressing gown, and I obviously couldn't put my casted arm through the left sleeve, so I just draped the dressing gown over my shoulders, like a cape. My casted left arm was supported by a sling around my neck.

"When can you bring Sarah and James to see me?" I asked.

"Tomorrow, if you like. They want to know if they can sign your cast."

I smiled. "I think I'd prefer it if nobody signs my cast. If I let Sarah and James sign it, Norman will want to as well, and who knows what he'll write?"

"Point taken!" Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry. They're making 'get well' cards for you as well."

At that moment, someone knocked on the closed door. Charlie got up to see who it was.

"You have some visitors, Sam," he announced.

I smiled when I saw Penny, Arnold and Radar enter the room. Radar gave a little whine before he trotted over to me.

"Hello, Radar!" I greeted him, and I began stroking him with my right hand. "Did you miss me?"

"We've all been missing you, Sam," Penny said as she and Arnold came over to me. "How have you been?"

"Aside from not being about to remember much, I'm doing okay," I replied.

"Can you really not remember what happened to you?" Arnold asked.

I shook my head slowly. "I can remember what happened to me earlier that morning, but nothing after I left Pontypandy. I don't even know why I was in Newtown."

"It was because-"

"That's enough, Arnold," Charlie warned. "We're not allowed to tell Sam what happened to him, so that if his memory does come back, he won't be confused by what we've told him."

Arnold looked uncomfortable. "Sorry."

"Take a seat, Penny," I invited, indicating to the armchair Charlie had left vacant. She sat down. Charlie offered Arnold the wooden chair beside my bed. Arnold accepted it, and Charlie remained standing.

Penny handed me a handful of envelopes. "Everyone asked us to bring you their 'get well soon' cards. Would you like a hand to open them?"

"Yes, please. I think I'll need more than one hand."

With Charlie, Penny and Arnold's help, we managed to open all of the cards. Charlie and Arnold set them up on top of the bedside table, where I could see them. Radar sat contently at my feet the whole time. It was like he was trying to guard me.

"It's a shame you can't leave Radar here," I said as I stroked his head. "I really miss him."

"He misses you too," Penny told me sadly. "How much longer do you think you'll be here?"

"Hopefully not too much longer. I can't wait to get home. Now, tell me what's been going on in Pontypandy. I want to know everything."

Penny and Arnold exchanged glances. "Well, not much really. Everyone's been trying to stay out of trouble while you've been here," Penny explained.

"Except Norman." Arnold added. "He managed to get himself stuck on the roof of his mum's shop yesterday. We got him down using Jupiter."

I smiled. "Trust Norman to do something like that! Anything else?"

"Not really," Penny said. "We've just been doing some training exercises."

 _Training exercises?_ In my mind's eye, I saw for a brief moment myself climbing a wall of ice.

"Sam? Sam, are you okay?" Penny called.

"Shh!" Charlie whispered. "I think he's trying to remember something."

Stunned, I looked up at Charlie and my friends. "I think… Was I in Newtown doing training exercises?"

Charlie, Penny and Arnold nodded slowly. Smiling, I looked down at Radar. "I guess it won't be long before I remember everything then."

"Don't overdo it, Sam," Charlie warned. "Your mental scars will take longer to heal than your physical ones."

"What on earth do you mean by that?" I wondered.

Charlie shook his head. "Never mind. We should let you rest now."

"Oh, stop it, Charlie," I said firmly. "I'm not tired, and I want to know what happened to me."

"We can't tell you that, Sam," Penny reminded me. "And you do look tired. I'm guessing that this is your first day out of bed, right?"

I nodded. "Sorry. Thank you so much for coming to see me. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Sam," Penny replied. "We're just so happy to see that you're recovering so well. Honestly, we weren't sure what to expect. Station Officer Steele wasn't clear on details."

Radar whined a little when Arnold tugged on his leash. "Come on, Radar. It's time to go home now."

I gave Radar a parting cuddle. "Off you go, Radar. I'll be home in a few days. Then you can sleep on my bed again."

With another reluctant whine, Radar followed Arnold and Penny out of my hospital room.

"I'd better go too, Sam," Charlie said. "Would you like some help back to bed?"

"Yes, please. Although, I really hate feeling this helpless."

"I know. But don't worry. You only have to put up with this until your arm heals."

"But that will be at least another two months!"

Charlie laughed. "Enjoy it while you can, Sam!"

I pouted as Charlie helped me stand up. "That rhymes."

"I'm a poet and didn't know it!"

I swatted at Charlie with my right hand. "Stop it! Stop teasing me!"

"That's my job as your big brother."

Sighing tiredly, I climbed into my bed, and Charlie rolled the I.V. stand next to my bed. He then tucked the blankets around me.

"Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded. "Give my love to Bronwyn and the kids."

"I will. Bye Sam." He closed the door softly behind him.

…

Meanwhile, at the Newtown Fire Station, Chief Fire Officer Boyce was working at his desk, when the phone rang. It was an internal call from the Station Officer.

" _Sir, there's a team from the SCIU here to see you again._ "

Chief Fire Officer Boyce sighed with frustration. "Send them up." He almost slammed his phone down with frustration. He'd been through enough SCIU investigations to know why they'd come back.

Leaving his desk, Chief Fire Officer Boyce went over to one of the many filing cabinets in his office, and he removed a thick file. A small box fell out of the file, and it landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Boyce bent down to pick up the box, knowing exactly what it was. It was one of several Bravery medals that had been awarded to Sam without his knowledge. Boyce wished he didn't have to fight with Sam every time he deserved to receive a medal, but the man was stubborn as well as humble. He knew that Sam would be shocked if he knew just how many Bravery medals he'd really been awarded with over the years. The few that Sam had accepted was only about a third of what had actually been awarded to him. The one that had fallen out of his file was only his latest medal. It had been awarded to Sam after he'd managed to stop Trevor Evan's runaway bus from crashing, by jumping onto it at speed and killing the engine.

Chief Fire Officer Boyce snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his office door. Peter led the SCIU inside the office, and he closed the door once they were inside.

"I know why you're back," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said. He placed the large file down on his desk. "You may access Leading Fireman Samuel Jones' service file on the condition that it does not leave this office."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Sam? Sam, wake up. You've got another visitor."

Groaning with annoyance at having been awakened from my sleep, I reluctantly opened my eyes. At first, I had to squint because of the bright overhead lights, but the nurse kindly dimmed them for me. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was standing beside my bed, holding a pizza box. The fragrance of the freshly cooked pizza caused my stomach rumbled hungrily.

"Sounds like I arrived right on time," Chief Fire Officer Boyce quipped. "I thought you'd appreciate something more satisfying than hospital food. Your doctor said it was fine for you to have pizza for dinner tonight. He's really happy with your progress so far."

Smiling, I carefully sat up. "Thank you, sir."

"Pepperoni is your favourite, right?"

"Yes, but I'm hungry enough to eat anything right now."

"Really? You were completely out of it when I came in here, so I asked a nurse to wake you. I thought you were a light sleeper?"

"Normally, I am. I think the painkiller medication they've got me on is making me drowsy."

Boyce nodded in understanding. He placed the pizza box down on my food tray, and he wheeled the tray across my bed. I immediately opened the box, and I began devouring the pizza. Boyce sat down in the chair beside my bed.

"Would you like a slice?" I offered.

"No thanks. It's all for you. I'll have my dinner when I get back to the station. But that wasn't the only reason why I've come to see you."

"Oh?"

"The SCIU came to see me again earlier this afternoon, after they'd interviewed you."

I paused eating for a moment. "What did they want?"

"They wanted to see your service record."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, but it's standard practice for them to investigate everything. However, I have a feeling that they're going to try and blame you for the accident."

I paled, and I immediately lost my appetite. "But, I don't remember what happened, so how can they blame me for it?"

"They'll find a way to blame you if they can't put the blame on anything else. So, just in case they do, I've decided to appoint a fire service lawyer to you. His name is Mr Harrison, and he's coming here from London. I felt that a London lawyer would be better than someone from around here. After all, we don't want anyone to accuse us of any bias towards you. I'll bring him here to see you first thing tomorrow morning, so you can discuss everything. Hopefully, by then, you'll have remembered something else that may help your case."

 _But what if what I remember doesn't help? What if I really did make a mistake that caused my accident?_

"Maybe it's best if I don't remember what happened," I muttered, and I sighed despondently.

Chief Fire Officer Boyce was about to say something, but then he changed his mind. "I think I'd better go now." He stood up. "I'll see you again in the morning. Enjoy the pizza."

"Thank you, sir."

After Chief Fire Office Boyce had gone, I turned on the TV, so that I could watch the news on S4C. It took me some time, but I did manage to finish my pizza. Dr Fisher came in to see me just as I finished it.

"Good evening, Sam. I'm just doing my evening rounds. How have you been since I saw you after lunch?"

I turned down the volume on the TV before I replied. "Not bad. I've been asleep ever since Charlie left, and then Chief Fire Officer Boyce came to see me. He asked a nurse to wake me."

Dr Fisher glanced at the TV, to see what I'd been watching. "S4C? I didn't know you could speak Welsh."

"I'm fluent," I explained.

Dr Fisher was surprised. "Really? That's unusual for someone your age."

"My grandfather was a proud Welshman. He taught me Welsh before I even went to school."

"I wish I had been so lucky." Dr Fisher looked at my chart. "Hmm… At the rate you're going, Sam, you should be able to go home in two or three days."

"Really? But I still get tired quickly. I haven't even left this room since I arrived."

"I'm sure you'll regain your strength quickly once you get home," Dr Fisher assured me. "Being back in familiar surroundings should help to improve your spirits too. Hospitals can be quite depressing for patients."

I nodded in agreement. "I really would like to go home as soon as possible. I have been feeling a little bit homesick."

"I've noticed. I've been a doctor for over ten years, so I can tell when someone is homesick." Seeing my empty pizza box, Dr Fisher kindly placed it in the bin for me. "At least your appetite is healthy. That's usually the first thing to be affected by homesickness. I'd better keep going. Have a good night's sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you."

After Dr Fisher had left my room, I turned the TV volume back up to an acceptable level. The news had finished by now, and a comedy-drama show was on, so I settled back to watch it.

…

It was about six-thirty by the time Chief Fire Officer Boyce arrived back at the Newtown Fire Station. He was about to head upstairs to his office, when he was stopped by the Station Officer.

"Sir, a Mr Harrison has arrived from London. He's waiting for you in your office."

"Thank you. Can you have some tea sent up to us?"

"Of course, sir."

"And please ensure my dinner is ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir."

Boyce hurried upstairs, just as the alarm went off.

" _Rubbish bin fire behind a townhouse on Llewelyn Street!_ " one of the firemen announced over the loudspeakers. " _Pumper only!_ "

Some of the firefighters grumbled a bit before returning to their jobs, while others continued hurrying downstairs to the appliance bay. Boyce entered his office. Mr Harrison stood up.

"Chief Fire Officer Boyce?"

"Yes. And I presume that you're Mr Harrison."

They shook hands.

"I am. I hope you don't mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all." They both sat down on opposite sides of the desk. "I know you've had a lot of experience, Mr Harrison," Boyce began, "which is why I specifically requested for you to handle this case. I just hope that you won't be needed."

"I understand. But you haven't told me anything yet. I don't even know my client's name."

"It's Leading Fireman Sam Jones."

"Never heard of him."

"He's very famous in these parts, and in the fire service in general. In fact, he's often called a hero because of his, sometimes unorthodox, firefighting and rescue methods."

"Has he been in the service for long?"

"Almost thirty years, if you don't include his time as a Fire Cadet."

"So, he's a career officer then. Why is he still a leading fireman?"

Boyce chuckled. "That's something you'll have to ask him. We've offered him numerous promotions over the years, but he's always turned them down. I think he wants to stay on the front line for as long as possible."

Mr Harrison leaned forward a little. "He sounds like an interesting man."

"He is. Sam has the respect of his fellow officers, and I will do anything I possibly can to prevent him from being sacked."

Mr Harrison took out his notebook. "Tell me the facts and details that you know about the accident. I need to know everything."

"Sam was here all day, over at the academy next door, for some advanced winter training with some other leading firefighters. I became indisposed halfway through the training, due to a minor accident. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Hughes took over the training. He gave me a glowing report on Sam. I can show it to you, if you like?"

"Later. What happened next?"

"I believe that Sam was the first leading firefighter to leave after training. I was at home later that evening, recovering from my accident, when Sam's Station Officer, Norris Steele, phoned me. He told me that Sam had crashed Pontypandy's fire service quadbike on his way home, and he'd been taken to Newtown Hospital. His condition was unknown at the time. I didn't find out until the following morning exactly what injuries he had."

"What were his injuries?"

"The worst is a broken forearm, and a dislocated shoulder. Minor injuries include concussion and post-traumatic amnesia. He cannot remember the accident at all. I saw him in the hospital just before I came here. In fact, I took him some pizza after gaining his doctor's permission. Sam is a lot more alert now, and his doctor is sure he'll be able to go home soon."

"That's good," Mr Harrison said. He paused his notetaking. "The post-traumatic amnesia is a concern though. What sort of man is Sam? What's his personality like?"

"He's introverted, especially around strangers. He is very humble too. You might find it a challenge to get him to talk about himself, but I'm sure he will do his best to co-operate with you."

"I see. Does he have any family?"

"Only his brother, sister-in-law, father-in-law, niece and nephew. His brother is the best person to talk to if you want to know more about Sam's off-duty activities."

"I'll be sure to get in touch with him then. When can I see Sam?"

"Tomorrow morning. I've already cleared it with his doctor."

"Excellent. Well, I'll head back to my hotel now. Shall I meet you back here tomorrow morning?"

"Yes. Nine o'clock would be best. We can go straight to the hospital from here. I'll show you out."

"Thank you. Have a good evening."

"You too."

…

 _A cold wind whipped around me as I drove Mercury up the driveway to the Newtown Fire Academy. I parked her just inside the stone wall next to the iron gate, and I removed my quadbike helmet. Chief Fire Officer Boyce was walking across the snow-covered yard, and he waved when he saw me._

 _"_ _Good morning, sir," I called._

 _"_ _Morning, Fireman Sam. We're meeting in the common room, which is just over there." And he pointed to the end room on the bottom floor of the main training building._

 _After I'd removed my firefighting helmet from Mercury's locker, I made my way over to the common room. It was nice and warm inside, with plenty of sofas to sit on, a TV and a small kitchenette. There were five other leading firefighters in there, from the various fire stations in the district. Although our uniforms were pretty much the same, the logos on them were different, so that it was easy to see which fire station we belonged to._

 _"_ _Well, look who's decided to show up," Adam Smith sneered. "The legendary Fireman Sam. I'm surprised you even need to be here, considering how you're so much better at doing your job that we are."_

 _"_ _Stop it, Adam," Leading Firefighter Alice Williams scolded. "You're just jealous that you're not famous like Sam."_

 _I held up my hands. "That's enough. You know I'm just like the rest of you."_

 _"_ _Hardly!" young Colin Forsythe exclaimed. "I can't believe I get to train with you today, let alone meet you! You're a living legend at my fire station!"_

 _"_ _Calm down, Colin," my friend, Ryan Davies said. He gave me a friendly nudge with his elbow. "He's only just qualified as a leading fireman. Guess us 'oldies' will have to show him a thing or two, eh?"_

 _"_ _I'm here to learn too, you know," I said. "I'm not a hero, no matter what you all say, and I need the training just as much as you do."_

 _"_ _You're still a hero, whether you like it or not, Sam," Scott Driscoll told me firmly._

 _The door slammed closed behind me. "And, regardless of your heroic status, Sam, today I am going to be as hard on you as I am on all the other leading firefighters," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said sternly from behind me. "There'll be no special treatment for any of you."_

 _Turning, I smiled at him. "I don't expect any special treatment either, sir."_

 _"_ _Right, firefighters," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said, addressing everyone in the room. "Before we do any training exercises, I want you all to do some warm-up exercises and stretches for ten minutes in the yard. But don't overstrain yourselves, understood?"_

 _"_ _Yes, sir!" we all replied in unison._

 _"_ _Right, then. Off you go."_

 _The six of us headed outside, and we began to go through our own personal warm-up exercises. I did mine alongside Ryan, so we could talk._

 _"_ _How are things going for you in Pontypandy, Sam?" Ryan asked._

 _"_ _Quite well. I'm always busy. Life's never dull in Pontypandy, you know. How are things going for you in St_ _Daffyd_ _?"_

 _"_ _Too quiet. I'm thinking of transferring somewhere else, preferably somewhere that sees a lot more action. Are there any vacancies in Pontypandy?"_

 _"_ _You'll have to ask Chief Fire Officer Boyce about that. I really couldn't tell you. But, maybe you could consider transferring to Cardiff? I really enjoyed my time there, and they're always needing good firefighters in the city."_

 _"_ _I might just do that. Thanks, Sam!"_

 _"_ _More stretching, and less chatting you two!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce shouted at us through a megaphone._

 _"_ _He never changes," I said quietly._

 _Chuckling, Ryan and I continued warming up._

…

The sound of curtains being drawn open woke me, and the comforting memories from my flashback dream faded away. Disappointed, I let out a sigh before I opened my eyes.

"Good morning," the nurse said cheerfully. "Nurse Gilbertson has just gone off-duty, and Nurse Jenkins is having a day off, so I'll be looking after you today. Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Fruit salad, apple and cinnamon flavoured porridge, and orange juice, please."

"No worries. I'll be back shortly."

A few minutes later, the nurse returned with my breakfast. I ate it while she changed my I.V. bag to a new one. Then, Dr Fisher arrived.

"Morning, Sam. How are you today?"

"I'm feeling a bit stronger. And… I've remembered some more of what happened to me on the day of the accident."

Dr Fisher raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Is it coming back to you in your dreams?"

I nodded. "I don't normally have dreams, which is why I've been able to recall what happens in them when I'm awake. I now remember clearly why I was here in Newtown on the day of my accident. I was undergoing winter training exercises at the Fire Academy."

Dr Fisher frowned thoughtfully. "I'd like to do some tests on you tomorrow, before I decide when I'll release you. I don't have the time to do anything today, but I'd like to take another x-ray of your arm and do a full MRI scan on your brain. Hopefully, the contusion will have reduced by now. How's your shoulder feeling?"

"I don't know. I try not to move my left arm any more than I have to, and whatever painkiller you've been giving me is working well."

"I see. Well, I think it's time we started weaning you off the morphine, as of now. I'll take some scans of your shoulder tomorrow too." And he wrote that down on my chart. "Hopefully, if I can see that everything's healing nicely, I should be able to let you go home the day after tomorrow."

"I don't suppose I could go for a bit of a walk down the hallway today?" I asked Dr Fisher. "If it was summer, I'd be begging to go outside."

"I don't see why not," Dr Fisher agreed. "It'll be good for you to start moving around again. But, only if you have a nurse accompany you, just in case."

"In case of what?"

"In case you suddenly feel dizzy and collapse. Or, in case you feel too tired to make it back to your room."

I nodded thoughtfully in agreement. Someone knocked on the open door. It was Chief Fire Officer Boyce.

"May I come in?"

"Of course," Dr Fisher replied. "I was just about to leave anyway. I'll come back and check on you again later, Sam. Don't forget what I said about the walk."

Dr Fisher left my room and the nurse came in to clear away my breakfast dishes. After she'd gone, Chief Fire Officer Boyce came over to me.

"Perhaps I should've brought you some breakfast this morning as well as the dinner last night," he teased. "I don't envy you eating hospital food."

"It's better than nothing," I told him.

"Are you sure about that?"

I shrugged my right shoulder. "Is the lawyer here?"

"He is. He's just outside. I asked him to wait so that I could make sure you're ready to see him. Try and answer all of his questions. He'll take good care of you if this ends up going before a disciplinary hearing."

I drew in a short breath. "Do you really think it'll go that far?"

"It's possible. I don't know what the SCIU has uncovered in their investigation, but if they're focusing on you, they obviously suspect or believe that you were at fault for the accident."

I immediately felt sick with worry. "I've never been called before a disciplinary hearing before. The worst I've ever had was being yelled at, and being made to clean the appliances."

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm sure we'll be able to sort this out quickly, before it gets to the next stage. I'd better ask Mr Harrison to come in."

Chief Fire Officer Boyce went over to the doorway, and he asked Mr Harrison to come in. Mr Harrison was middle-aged, with slightly greying brown hair, and a stocky build.

"Hello there, Sam," the lawyer said kindly. "I'm Mr Harrison, but you may call me Alex." He sat down in the seat beside my bed.

Chief Fire Officer Boyce closed the door, and he went and sat down in the nook. I watched as Mr Harrison took out a notebook and pen.

"Today, I just want to have a quick chat with you, and we can go from there, all right?" Mr Harrison began. "Now, I may sound like a psychiatrist sometimes, but I do that, so I can figure out how you think and behave. That may influence what happens at your disciplinary hearing, if this case ever gets that far."

"Do you think it will?" I asked quietly.

"I couldn't possibly say, because I don't know what the SCIU have uncovered. And, to be honest, I don't know the first thing about you. But that's good, because it means that my judgement won't be clouded by rumours. All I really know about you is your full name, and that you're the leading foreman in the Pontypandy brigade. So, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

I swallowed nervously. "There's not all that much to tell."

Mr Harrison waited for me to continue, but I didn't. I didn't like people outside of my immediate family knowing about my private life. There were just some things I didn't want people to know.

I saw Mr Harrison glance at Chief Fire Officer Boyce. The latter came over to the foot of my bed.

"Why don't you tell Mr Harrison about your career, Sam?" he prompted.

I remained silent, since I didn't know what to say.

"Well, where did you do your basic training?" Mr Harrison asked. "Was it in London?"

"No, Cardiff."

"Cardiff? That must have been exciting for you. Why didn't you stay there?"

"I was transferred shortly after I became leading fireman."

"Where were you transferred to?"

"Pontypandy. I've been there ever since."

"You were transferred to your hometown just like that? That is very unusual. Did you specifically request that transfer?"

"No."

"So, it was pure coincidence, was it?"

"Not exactly." I turned my head to look out of the window as the painful memories I'd suppressed for years started to surface. With my right hand, I wiped a tear away from my eye. _Please, don't bring that up! I don't want to think about that now._

"Perhaps we should focus on the accident now?" Chief Fire Officer Boyce suggested. I knew that he was well aware of the reason for my sudden distress.

"Good idea," Mr Harrison agreed. "Sam, do you remember anything about the accident?"

I shook my head without looking at him.

"Were you speeding, or driving recklessly perhaps?"

I snapped my head back in his direction. "I don't know, but I can't imagine that I would ever do anything like that. I've always been a careful driver."

"What about when you're on your way to an emergency?"

"I have to speed then, of course, but always within reason."

"Were you on your way to an emergency when the accident occurred?"

I rested my head in my right hand, and I thought hard for a moment. Outside, I heard an ambulance siren wailing as it arrived at the emergency department. I waited until it had quietened down before I spoke again. "I don't know."

Mr Harrison sighed heavily before he stood up. "I think I'll head down to the police station to request copies of the witness statements. Perhaps they might reveal something."

"And I think I'd better leave as well," Boyce added. He gently placed a hand on my right shoulder. "Will you be okay, or should I send a nurse in?"

"Please, just go," I whispered. I knew they could see how increasingly distressed I was becoming, so I hoped they'd leave quickly. They did.

As soon as Chief Fire Officer Boyce and Mr Harrison had gone, I burst into tears.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 9

"What just happened back there?" Mr Harrison asked Chief Fire Officer Boyce on their way out of the hospital. "I know you said it'd be difficult to get him talking, but I wasn't expecting him to close up on me completely!"

"Sorry, I should've warned you about Sam's past," Boyce replied. "I'd rather let you read about it than tell you. It's all in his file back at the Newtown Fire Station. I'll show it to you later, after I get back from Pontypandy."

"Why are you going there?"

"I've got business at the Fire Station there. You can come, if you like, and I'll introduce you to Sam's family."

"Let's go!"

…

At the Pontypandy Fire Station, Penny was in the Main Room upstairs along with Radar, Elvis and Ellie. Penny was doing her best to try and get Radar to eat his lunch. However, Radar simply wasn't interested. With a sad whine, he turned his nose away from his bowl once again.

"Come on, Radar," Penny begged. "You have to eat something."

"Maybe he's sick," Elvis suggested. "He could have doggie flu."

"Mmm… He doesn't look sick. He just looks sad."

"I'm sure he's just missing Sam," Ellie said. "Since you took him to see Sam yesterday, he obviously knows that Sam's been injured."

Penny patted Radar's head affectionately. "Poor Radar. That's the problem with dogs. They latch onto one or two people, and when something happens to them, they go to pieces."

Someone coughed from the doorway. Everyone turned to face Chief Fire Officer Boyce and Station Officer Steele.

"Is there a problem here, firefighters?" Chief Fire Officer Boyce asked with unusual kindness.

"Radar's pining for Sam, sir, and he won't eat," Ellie explained.

Chief Fire Officer Boyce gently stroked Radar's head. "Poor Radar. The good news is that Sam should be released from hospital either tomorrow or the next day."

"Hurray!" Elvis cheered.

"But he will be off-duty for at least the next six weeks while he heals and recovers from his accident," Chief Fire Officer Boyce continued, ignoring Elvis. "So, I'll need someone to fill in for him until he's fit to return to work."

"Oh, me! Pick me, please sir!" Elvis begged eagerly.

Chief Fire Officer Boyce held up a hand. "Sorry, Elvis, but I already had someone else in mind…"

Everyone immediately focused their eyes on Penny – even Radar. Penny felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Uh, I'm not sure if any of us can fill Sam's place, sir," she managed to say.

"You'll do for now, Firefighter Morris," Chief Fire Officer Boyce declared. "I know that Sam's been training you to become a leading firefighter, so now's the chance for you to put that knowledge into practice. After all, you couldn't have a better teacher than Fireman Sam."

"Except for the person who taught him," Ellie muttered.

"What was that, Firefighter Philips?" Station Officer Steele asked.

"Oh, I was just saying that the only person better than Sam would be the one who taught him."

"As a matter of fact, Sam has had many teachers," Chief Fire Officer Boyce replied. "He's even learned from Station Officer Steele and myself."

"But, you may have noticed that Sam never stops learning," Station Officer Steele continued. "He knows that there's always something new to learn about firefighting. That's why he's so good. He's never reached the point where he thinks he knows everything, because the truth is that nobody can know everything."

"Uh… Can Elvis and I go and see Sam this afternoon, please, Station Officer Steele?" Ellie asked, changing the topic slightly. "It is our turn."

"Yes, of course," Station Officer Steele agreed. "Arnold will be back on duty by then, so I'm sure the three of us can managed. We did in the old days, you know."

Radar whined, and he pawed at Ellie's leg. Station Officer Steele sighed in defeat.

"Yes, take Radar with you too. He's more Sam's dog than anyone else's anyway."

"Right, well, if that's settled, I'd like a cup of tea please, Criddlington," Chief Fire Officer Boyce said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"One lump or two, sir?" Elvis replied.

"Three, please."

…

"How are you feeling now, Sam?" the nurse accompanying me asked. I'd already walked up and down the hallway twice, and we were back outside my hospital room. The nurse was wheeling my IV stand for me, so I could concentrate on walking.

"I think I can manage another turn up and back," I replied.

"And think that you've had enough for one day," the nurse replied firmly. "Dr Fisher said to take it easy the first time."

Hearing an excited yap from down the other end of the hallway, I turned to see Radar straining on his leash to get to me. Elvis was almost being pulled off his feet by my beloved Dalmatian.

"No, Radar!" Elvis exclaimed. "Stop! I mean, heel!"

"Radar!" I called happily as I knelt down. "Come here boy!"

Elvis finally had to let go of Radar's leash, and Radar bounded down the hallway, straight into my extended right hand. He began covering my face in dog lick.

"Argh! Okay, Radar, that's enough!" I ordered. Radar obediently sat, staring up at me longingly. I stood up in time to see the nurse frowning sternly at me.

"Is that your dog?"

"Technically, he belongs to the fire service," I replied as Ellie and Elvis joined us.

"Well, regardless of who he belongs to, he can't come in here."

"Why not?" Ellie asked, surprised. "He was allowed in here yesterday, and he's not doing any harm."

"He's been pining for Sam," Elvis added.

I sighed with relief when I saw Dr Fisher approaching.

"What's going on here?" Dr Fisher asked, as he joined us.

"This…dog just came racing down the hallway, and it licked Sam's face," the nurse explained. "I told them to that hospitals are no places for dogs."

"Oh, what rubbish!" Dr Fisher snapped. "Dogs are more than welcome in any department that I run. Studies have shown just how therapeutic their presence can be to patients." He looked at me. "Is this the famous Radar?"

"Yes," I replied, smiling proudly.

"I've heard him mentioned alongside your name, Sam. I'm sure you two make a great team. Nurse Palmers, why don't you go down to the kitchen and fetch a nice, big juicy bone for Radar?"

"But I…! Yes, Doctor Fisher…"

With the nurse now out of the way, Dr Fisher helped me back into my room, and he ordered me to get back into bed.

"I'm happy for you to sit up for a while," Dr Fisher explained. "But you'll find that you will feel rather tired now after that bit of exercise."

"I am already," I told him.

"Good. That's normal." Dr Fisher turned to look at my friends. "Please leave if he falls asleep on you. Otherwise, you're free to stay for as long as you like."

"Thank you, doctor," Ellie replied as Dr Fisher left the room.

The nurse returned then, and she handed Elvis a big, juicy bone. "If that dog makes any mess, you're to alert me immediately," she told us sternly before she stormed out of the room.

Radar had already jumped up onto the seat next to my bed. He sat there contently, guarding me just like he had the day before. He whined when he saw the bone, but he didn't move.

"Radar hasn't been eating much lately," Ellie told me. "We're starting to worry about him."

Elvis offered Radar the bone. He sniffed it and licked his lips, but he refused to touch it.

"Poor Radar," I said sympathetically as I stroked his forehead with my right hand. "Perhaps, Lizzie might be able to help him."

Ellie nodded. "We'll ask her for help if Radar hasn't eaten anything by morning."

I talked with Ellie and Elvis for about twenty minutes before fatigue started to get the better of me. Seeing that I was about to fall asleep, Ellie and Elvis said their goodbyes and left. I'm pretty sure that Elvis had to carry Radar out of my room, since he refused to leave on his own accord.

…

 _It was cold. Too cold to move. I could no longer feel my body. Opening my eyes, I saw a strange hooded being with long, white hair standing above me. Beside it was a wooden horse-drawn cart, loaded with dead bodies. Most were decaying, while others were skeletal. Even the horse was nothing more than a skeleton. Snow swirled all around us, blocking out everything else in a white-out. Thanks to my knowledge of Welsh folklore, I knew exactly who this repulsive being was._

 _"_ _Yr Angau!" I heard myself whisper, although my lips were too cold to move._

 _"Mae hynny'n iawn. Ac yr wyf wedi dod i fynd â chi i'r y byd a ddaw, fel yr wyf yn cymryd eich rhieni... (That's right. And I've come to take you to the afterlife, just like I took your parents….)"_

 _A wall of flames suddenly ignited between us. Within the flames, I could see the shell of a burning car. Looking closer, I could just make out two people, a man and a woman, struggling desperately to get out of the burning car._

 _"_ _Help!" The woman's scream was muffled by the glass window. "Help us, please!"_

 _"_ _Nooo!" I wailed, and I ran forward to go and help them, but then something stopped me. The woman stared at me with wild, frantic eyes that seemed to penetrate right through me. Seconds later, the flames consumed the entire car, and the ghostly figures vanished. Yr Angau laughed chillingly._

 _"_ _Ni allem arbed iddynt wedyn, a chewch chi ddim cadw eich hun bellach! (You couldn't save them then, and you can't save yourself now!)_

 _"Na, ni allwch wneud hyn i mi eto! (No, you can't do this to me yet!)" I protested with fierce determination. "Dydw i ddim yn barod i fynd! (I'm not ready to go!)"_

 _"Mae'n ddrwg gennym, ond mae'n fy newis, nid eich un chi. (Sorry, but it's my choice, not yours.)"_

 _"_ _Ond fy newis i yw! (But it is my choice!)," I screamed._

 _The skeletal horse snorted, and it reached its head through the flames to bite me. Repulsed, I threw my hands up to protect myself, but I ended up tripping over my own feet. I landed heavily, facedown, in a pile of snow._

 _"_ _Sam?"_

I recognise that voice! It's mum!

 _Two skeletal pairs of feet appeared in my field of vision. Shocked, I recoiled quickly, curling myself up into a tight ball, refusing to look up at the skeletons. Behind me, the flames grew hotter, while in front of me, the snow swirled thicker than ever._

 _I jumped when I felt a skeletal hand touch my shoulder. Trembling with fear, I finally looked up to see the two skeletons standing over me._

 _"_ _It's time for you to come with us, Sam," one of the skeletons said. It used my mother's voice, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that it was her. Turning, I saw Yr Angau standing directly behind me._

 _"_ _Pam? (Why?)"_

 _"_ _Rhoi'r gorau i ofyn cwestiynau, a mynd i drol! (Stop asking questions, and get into the cart!)," Yr Angau roared. He seized me roughly, pulling me to my feet. Then, before I could defend myself, he threw me into the flames._

 _I let out a blood curling scream as I felt the heat of the flames consuming me._

 _CRASH!_

"ARGH!" I screamed again as I bolted upright. Gasping breathlessly, I opened my eyes just as an overhead light was switched on. Disorientated, I glanced around wildly. Yr Angau was gone, as were the flames and everything else. I was sitting up safely in the bed inside my hospital room, and yet, I was full of adrenalin. Nurse Gilbertson was standing near the doorway, staring at me in shock.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Dr Fisher exclaimed as he also came into the room.

"I'm sorry!" Nurse Gilbertson blurted out. "I heard Sam scream several times, so I came in here to check on him, and I didn't see the tray on the end of the bench. I knocked it over as I came in, and I think I woke him from a nightmare."

Dr Fisher hurried over to me, and he quickly felt neck for my pulse before he studied my eyes for a moment. "He's not quite awake yet. Nurse Gilbertson, go to the nurses' station, and send someone else in here to help. You're in no fit state to assist me right now."

"Yes, doctor," Nurse Gilbertson gasped before hurrying away.

Dr Fisher helped me lie back down. "Just take it easy there, Sam," he soothed. "Were you having a nightmare?"

I nodded slightly. I was too shocked to speak. Another nurse entered my room. She must've been at least fifty years old, and she had that 'no nonsense' expression on her face.

"Sam's just suffered a panic attack, and he's in shock," Dr Fisher explained to her. "Can you prepare 5ccs of Diazepam in a hypodermic?"

"Of course, Doctor Fisher. I'll be back in a moment."

I whimpered pitifully, and I shivered. Dr Fisher removed a blanket from my bedside table, which he kindly placed over me.

"You'll be okay now, Sam," he said, continuing to soothe me. "It was just a nightmare. None of it was real."

"Yes, it was," I managed to whisper. My throat felt very dry, to the point where it was almost burning.

Dr Fisher pressed a glass of water to my lips. I sipped on the water while he spoke. "Did you remember your accident?"

I stopped drinking, so I could speak. "No. It was much worse than that. I think…" Now that I had started to calm down, I could feel a dull pain spreading throughout my injured arm. "My arm hurts."

"You were probably thrashing around in your sleep," Dr Fisher explained. "There's not much I can do for it right now, I'm afraid. Just try not to move it."

The nurse returned then, and she handed Dr Fisher a syringe. "5ccs of Diazepam."

"Thank you. I'm just going to give you a small dose of a mild sedative, Sam," he explained. "Don't try to fight it. This should help you go back to sleep."

I was in no condition to protest, so I just gritted my teeth as Dr Fisher injected me with the sedative into my right shoulder. Just a few minutes later, it started to take effect. Through my drowsiness, I heard Dr Fisher stand up and go over to the doorway.

"He's starting to go back to sleep now. I want you to stay in here with him for the next hour, please," I heard him say to the nurse. "If he starts showing any side-effects, let me know immediately. Don't be afraid to hit the emergency alarm if you need to."

"Yes, Doctor Fisher."

"I'll be happy for you to return to you other duties at ten thirty-five. The Diazepam will have lost its effect by then, so it'll be safe for you to leave him. I'll come back and check on him around then anyway."

A small sigh escaped my lips as I drifted off to sleep once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 10

"I can't wait to see Uncle Sam again," Sarah said eagerly from the back seat of her parent's car. "Do you think he'll be glad to see us, mum?"

"Of course, he will be," Bronwyn replied from the front passenger seat.

"Then why couldn't we go and see him sooner?"

"Because he's been in a lot of pain," Charlie replied. "Just remember, he can't remember anything about the accident, so you mustn't tell him anything about it."

"Has Uncle Sam really been in a lot of pain?" James asked.

Charlie and Bronwyn exchanged a quick glance.

"It could have been worse," Bronwyn explained. "The doctor gave him painkillers, but they made him sleepy, so there wasn't much point in you seeing him until today."

"When I broke my arm, the doctor gave me some medicine to stop the pain," Sarah told James.

"But Norman said that Uncle Sam wouldn't be able to leave hospital until his arm was fixed."

Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "Honestly, James! Why do you always listen to Norman? He doesn't know anything!"

"Stop arguing, you two!" Bronwyn scolded. "We're almost there now."

…

Dr Fisher had just finished his morning rounds through the emergency ward, and he was on his way back to his office, when his pager went off. Glancing at it, he saw that he was wanted at the front reception. On his way there, he thought about the recent developments with Sam.

The poor man was still clearly shaken by his nightmare, and he'd refused to eat any breakfast. Although Sam's lack of appetite was hardly a surprise after his nightmare, Dr Fisher knew he had to send Sam home as soon as possible, before his homesickness got even worse. However, there were a few loose ends that he needed to tie up before that could be arranged.

"You paged me?" Dr Fisher asked the receptionist when he arrived at the front desk.

"Yes. Charlie Jones is here to see his brother again. He's brought his whole family with him this time."

"Right. Thank you." Dr Fisher stepped into the waiting room. "Charlie Jones?" he called loudly. He frowned when he saw two children with Charlie and Bronwyn. _Oh dear… Just what I didn't need to deal with today._

"Morning, Doctor Fisher," Charlie said cheerfully. "As you can see, I've brought the whole family to see Sam today. I hope that's okay?"

"Yes… Um, before I let you see him, I'm afraid I must talk to you alone in my office."

Charlie and Bronwyn exchanged anxious glances.

"Has something happened?" Bronwyn asked.

"I'll explain when we get there. Please, just come with me," Dr Fisher instructed.

The Jones family followed Dr Fisher to his office.

"Can Bronwyn come in too, please?" Charlie asked as he entered the office.

"I suppose so," Dr Fisher consented. "But the children will have to remain outside in the hallway."

"Stay here, you two," Charlie instructed, pointing to a row of seats outside Dr Fisher's office.

Sarah and James reluctantly sat down on seats. After the door had closed, they looked anxiously at each other.

"I hope nothing bad has happened to Uncle Sam," Sarah whispered.

James was too worried to say anything.

Inside the office, the adults sat down. Dr Fisher opened Sam's file on his desk. He was about to speak when Charlie cut in.

"What's happened to Sam, doctor?"

Dr Fisher exhaled deeply. "I'm afraid he had a serious nightmare last night, to the point where he ended up in shock. I gave him a mild sedative to help him go back to sleep, but this morning he's been very quiet and is refusing to eat."

"Did he say what the nightmare was about?"

"No, he's barely even spoken since the nightmare occurred."

Charlie sighed heavily, and he rested his head in his hands for a moment before he spoke again. "I think I know what it was about. There aren't many things that upset Sam to the point where he refuses to speak. I'll talk to him."

Dr Fisher nodded his approval. "Oh, I do need to take some scans and x-rays of Sam's injuries later this morning. You may stay for that, if you like."

"No problem," Charlie agreed. "We can have lunch while you're doing that."

"May we see him now, please?" Bronwyn asked.

"Yes. I'll escort you to his room."

…

I was standing at the window in my hospital room, gazing out into the distance. Despite being on the ground floor, I could just see the summit of Pontypandy Mountain peeking out from above a row of townhouses. My nightmare had left me feeling restless and anxious to return to the security of my own home as soon as possible.

Hearing the door open behind me, I turned to see Dr Fisher enter, followed closely by my entire family. I couldn't help but smile when I saw my niece and nephew.

"Hello, you two! Come and give me a hug," I invited.

Sarah and James didn't need a second invitation. They ran straight over to me, and they hugged my waist tightly. I tenderly ran the fingers of my right hand through Sarah's hair.

"How have you two been?" I asked.

"Good," James answered.

"We've really missed you though," Sarah sniffled.

I sat down in one of the chairs in the nook, so Sarah could sit on my right knee. James stared at my casted left arm.

"Does your arm really hurt you, Uncle Sam?" James asked with a whimper.

"A little bit," I replied. "It's a lot better now than what it was."

Dr Fisher left us then. Bronwyn sat down in the vacant chair next to me, and Charlie brought over the chair from beside my bed.

"Doctor Fisher said you had a nightmare last night," Charlie began.

"I don't want to talk about it," I muttered. I couldn't look at him, but I sensed that he knew what it was about.

"Our parents?"

I nodded. I was right. He did know. It really didn't surprise me. After all, we were brothers, and he knew me far better than anyone else. Charlie stood up, and he sympathetically rubbed my back.

"You haven't had that nightmare in years."

"It was worse this time. Please, stop talking about it."

"Okay." And Charlie sat back down.

Sarah pointed to the I.V. line going into my right hand. "What's that for, Uncle Sam?"

"It's to help keep me hydrated," I explained.

"We understand that you're getting some tests done today," Bronwyn said.

"It's just scans and x-rays. Hopefully, I'll be able to go home tomorrow. Has anything been happening?"

"No," Charlie replied. "Everything's been quiet. Although, we did get an unexpected visit from your lawyer yesterday."

 _Oh no._ "What did you tell him?"

"Not much. He really wanted to know about your personality and such, that's all."

I sighed despondently. "I think he triggered my nightmare last night."

"Don't hold it against him," Bronwyn soothed. "He wasn't to know."

"Know what?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," James added. "You're all talking like you know a big secret."

"You're too young to understand," I told them both a little more harshly than I intended to.

"One day, we might tell you," Bronwyn added gently.

"It won't change the past," I muttered sadly.

At that moment, Nurse Jenkins entered my room. "Right, Sam," she said firmly. "I need to prepare you for your scans now, so can you please get back into bed? Your family may stay for now, if they wish."

"I'd like you to stay," I told Charlie as I stood up.

"I can take Sarah and James to the café," Bronwyn offered.

"That'd be good, thanks," Charlie quickly agreed, while I simply nodded.

"Oh! Can't we stay and watch? Please?" Sarah begged. "We promise not to get in the way."

"I think we need to give Sam and Charlie some time alone," Bronwyn explained. "Come along now, you two. We'll come back later."

After Bronwyn had left with the children, I made myself comfortable on my bed. Nurse Jenkins started to prepare another injection.

"Doctor Fisher has instructed me to sedate you for your MRI scan," she explained. "He doesn't want to, but since you're still a little unsettled after what happened last night, he thinks it's best because you cannot move during the scan."

"I understand."

"I also need to remove your I.V. completely. The needle could interfere with the scan."

I paled slightly, so Charlie helped me lie down. Nurse Jenkins came around to my right-hand side.

"Are you feeling all right, Sam?" she asked with concern. "You've gone very pale."

"Sam's not that good with needles," Charlie explained. "Neither am I, really."

Nurse Jenkins nodded in understanding. "It's common for people to feel faint when they get an injection or see a needle. I'll do my best to be gentle."

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as Nurse Jenkins removed my I.V. as gently as she could. I hissed as I felt the needle leave the back of my hand, and I very nearly passed out. I felt nothing for a moment, but the Nurse Jenkins placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Sam?"

"Mmm…?"

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…okay…" I muttered weakly.

Nurse Jenkins placed a sticking plaster over my hand. "Hopefully, you won't need to go on the I.V. again. Now, I'll just sedate you, and then we'll get you to the MRI room."

After I'd been sedated, Charlie and Nurse Jenkins helped me into a wheelchair. I was then taken to the MRI room, where I lay down on the table. While the MRI technician ensured I didn't have anything metal on me, Dr Fisher came over.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" he asked kindly.

"Sleepy," I muttered.

Dr Fisher smiled. "That doesn't surprise me. But I need you to try and stay awake while we do the scan. It shouldn't take more than half an hour, unless you move. Then we'll have to do it again. We've sourced your favourite music for you to listen to, so I'd like you to wear these earbuds, please."

I sat up and I took the earbuds from Dr Fisher. He continued speaking wile I placed them in my ears.

"The MRI machine will make a lot of noise, so don't be alarmed by that. Just lie back down and relax. I'll come back and let you know when we're done, okay?"

I nodded. After Dr Fisher and the technician had left the room, I folded my hands across my chest and closed my eyes. One of my favourite songs started to play through my earbuds, so I concentrated on that.

The next thirty minutes flew by. It seemed like almost no time had passed before Dr Fisher returned.

"Okay, Sam. We've finished now."

I removed the earbuds, but I remained lying down. "Can I sleep now?"

"Not yet. We still need to take x-rays of your arm and shoulder."

I groaned in disbelief just as Charlie came into the room.

"I take it that the sedative is working a little too well," he observed.

"Yes… Come on, Sam. The sooner the x-rays are done, the sooner you can go back to sleep."

…

About an hour later, Dr Fisher took Sam's MRI scans and x-rays into Sam's hospital room. Sam was fast asleep, lying on his right-hand side for the first time since his accident. The removal of the I.V. earlier meant that he could now sleep on his side without getting the line tangled. Sam's left arm was supported by a couple of pillows. Charlie was sitting beside the bed, watching Sam sleep. Bronwyn was sitting in the nook with Sarah and James, reading quietly to them.

Taking care not to disturb Sam, Dr Fisher started placing the scans and x-rays against the backlight in the kitchenette. Once he had filled the backlight space, he turned it on. Charlie came over to him, so he could see the scans and x-rays for himself.

Dr Fisher studied them closely. The x-ray of Sam's shoulder showed that the swelling had almost gone. The x-rays of Sam's broken arm clearly showed the pins that Dr Fisher had inserted during the operation. From what he could see, none of the broken bones had moved, and he could also see fragments of new bone growth starting to appear. Finally, Dr Fisher looked at the MRI scans of Sam's brain. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the contusion had reduced by half its size.

"Well?" Charlie asked impatiently. "Can Sam come home tomorrow?"

Dr Fisher turned off the backlight. "Yes, he can. I'm quite satisfied with how well he's healing." Turning, he glanced down at Sam, who was still sleeping soundly. "And I'm not at all surprised by that, given the amount of sleep he's been having lately. But don't worry. The extra sleep will help him heal faster, and the sedative should wear off shortly."

"What will we do if he keeps having nightmares?" Bronwyn asked.

"Well, I don't want Sam to be on his own at any time while he's recovering," Dr Fisher told Charlie and Bronwyn firmly. "Does he live on his own?"

Charlie nodded. Dr Fisher frowned thoughtfully.

"He needs to have someone stay with him at least until his cast comes off."

"So, about six weeks then?" Bronwyn asked.

"Yes. They'll need to ensure he's looking after himself and be able to assist him when he needs help."

Charlie scoffed. "That could be difficult. He doesn't look after himself properly at the best of times. He's too busy looking after everyone else."

"I'm sure we'll find someone," Bronwyn said.

"I'm going to prescribe a sedative to help Sam sleep," Dr Fisher continued. "It's called Xanax. He's to take it once a day for the next two weeks, about half an hour before he goes to bed. Just keep a close eye on him though. Sometimes, there can be side effects with it."

"Trust me, Charlie will be guarding Sam like a hawk," Bronwyn assured Dr Fisher.

"It'll certainly be a change from what usually happens," Charlie agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 11

Later that afternoon, back in Pontypandy, Charlie paid a visit to the fire station. He had good news for everyone there. He met Penny outside the appliance bay. She was washing Venus.

"Hi Charlie," Penny greeted him. "I expect you've been to see Sam today?"

"Yes. And I have some news that needs to be shared with everyone."

"You'd better come with me, then."

Penny escorted Charlie upstairs to the main room, where the rest of the team were enjoying a quiet cup of tea around the kitchen table.

"Hello, Charlie," Station Officer Steele greeted him. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes, please." And Charlie sat down. Elvis handed him a fresh cup of tea. After taking a sip, Charlie spoke. "I have some good news about Sam."

"He's coming home?" Elvis guessed.

"Yes. Tomorrow morning," Charlie confirmed. "But, we do have a small problem. Doctor Fisher doesn't want Sam to be on his own at any time. Since Sam lives on his own, he'll need someone to live with him while he recovers."

"Why don't you and Bronwyn do that?" Ellie suggested.

"I'd love to, naturally, but Sarah and James could make things difficult. Sam needs to rest, and I doubt he'd get much rest with them around."

"You're quite right," Penny agreed. "I'm happy to help look after him during the day when I'm not on duty, but ideally, we need another man to stay with him. It'd be too awkward otherwise. Plus, you know how everyone in Pontypandy loves to gossip. We don't want to have any rumours starting."

"How about me then?" Elvis suggested.

Charlie shook his head. "Sorry, Elvis, but I'm not sure if Sam would be able to cope with your cooking. Especially since there's no way he'd be able to put out a fire if you accidentally set his kitchen ablaze."

Elvis pouted, but he nodded his head in agreement. Charlie was right. He was too clumsy and absent-minded to give Sam the care he needed.

"And I'm not really good with medical things," Arnold said.

"What he really needs is someone with authority over him to prevent him from doing things he shouldn't be doing, and to ensure he does what he's supposed be doing," Penny pointed out.

Everyone turned to look at Station Officer Steele. He reeled back in surprise.

"What? Me? Look after Sam?"

"Why not?" Charlie asked. "He at least listens to you."

"And you have medical training," Ellie added.

"And I know you can cook," Penny said with a knowing wink. "Plus, with your wife away visiting her family in Scotland for the next month, you're on your own anyway."

Station Officer Steele sighed in defeat. "Oh, very well. I'll do it, if you all insist."

"Excellent!" Charlie exclaimed as he stood up to leave. "I'll come and get you once we get back from Newtown tomorrow. Thanks for the tea."

"I suppose I'd better go home and pack a small suitcase," Station Officer Steele muttered to himself.

…

Someone shook me gently.

"Sam? Sam, please wake up."

With a sleepy moan, I rolled over onto my back. "What do you want?"

"It's dinnertime, and you need to have something to eat," Nurse Jenkins told me sternly. "You haven't eaten a thing all day. Doctor Fisher said that if you don't eat your dinner, he'll put you back on the I.V. and he won't let you go home tomorrow."

Sighing heavily, I managed to sit up. Nurse Jenkins placed a tray of food and a drink of water in front of me.

"Eat what you can," she instructed before leaving the room.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was just after six p.m., so I turned on the TV to watch the news. I was really hungry now, so I ate everything offered to me on the tray.

Half an hour later, Dr Fisher poked his head into my room. He didn't say anything, but he smiled when he saw that my dinner tray was empty, and that I was wide awake. Then, he disappeared down the hallway.

Bored with what was on TV, I turned it off and I settled down to sleep. A few minutes later, I heard Nurse Jenkins return to my room. I pretended to be fast asleep as she began to go through the routine of checking my vitals. She was just updating my chart when Dr Fisher returned.

"Is he asleep?" Dr Fisher whispered.

"I think so," Nurse Jenkins replied. "Either that, or he's almost asleep. At least he ate all of his dinner."

"Yes, I noticed that. I'm going home in about half an hour. Keep a close eye on him tonight. If he has another nightmare, sedate him. I've already measured out a dosage and labelled it. It's on the bench."

"I just hope I don't need to administer it," Nurse Jenkins said. I heard her return my chart to its holder. "Let's leave him to sleep now. I'll wake him up at seven a.m."

"Very good," Dr Fisher agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, doctor."

…

 _I was standing in a beautiful open field full of lush, tall grass and an abundance of colourful wildflowers. In the near distance was a large, sparkling lake. A purple mountain range lined the far horizon. Turning, I looked into the majestic pine forest behind me._

 _"_ _Radar!" I called._

 _Radar barked, and he came bounding through the pine trees towards me. When he reached me, he momentarily reared up to place his front paws on my thighs. I gave him a loving pat on the head before he raced off at full speed towards the lake. I followed him, running as fast as I could through the waist-high grass._

 _"_ _Radar! Come back!" I called playfully._

 _Radar barked again. He sounded so happy. But then, his barking turned into a loud wail, and he disappeared into the grass._

 _"_ _Radar!" I yelled, this time with concern. I ran over to where I'd last seen him. There was nothing there. "Radar! Where are you?"_

 _I parted the grass with my hands, only to find a large, gaping black hole in front of me. Before I could stop myself, I slipped and fell into the hole…_

…

"Whoa!" I gasped as I woke up with a start. Glancing around, I realised that I was still in my hospital room, and it was the early hours of the morning. Taking a few deep breaths, I managed to calm myself down.

 _That was strange. It wasn't really a dream or a nightmare. It was both. But what could it mean?_

With a bit of difficulty, I managed to roll over onto my left-hand side. My injured shoulder protested a little bit when I leaned my weight onto it, so I tucked my casted arm underneath the pillow to make myself comfortable. Within minutes, I'd fallen asleep again.

…

An ambulance siren woke me a few hours later. The rays from the early morning sun peeked around the curtains. I guessed that it must be around six a.m.

Taking care not to put any stress on my left arm, I rolled over onto my back. _I'm going home today. I just hope that nobody tries to coddle me. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime,_ I thought as I sat up. I slowly pulled on my dressing gown before I went over to the nook to read.

About an hour later, Nurse Jenkins entered my room. She was surprised to see that I wasn't in bed.

"You're up early. Couldn't you sleep?"

"Actually, I slept quite well last night," I replied without looking up. _I'll ignore that weird dream I had last night. I'm sure it's nothing._ "May I have some breakfast, please?"

"Sure. Would you like your usual breakfast?"

"Yes, please."

Nurse Jenkins returned a short time later with and bowl of porridge and a small fruit salad. She set the tray down on the coffee table in front of me. I put my book aside and I started to eat. Once I'd finished my breakfast, I went into the bathroom to get changed into some casual clothes. It wasn't easy with my arm being so restricted, but at least I was able to use my fingers to do up buttons and things.

 _Why can't they design clothes for disabled people?_ I wondered as I finished dressing. Putting the sling back on was a lot easier to manage with one hand.

I was halfway through packing up my belongings when Dr Fisher arrived. He chuckled when he saw me. "Nurse Jenkins said you were up early. Keen to leave, are you?"

"Yes. I can't wait to go home. I'm tired of being cared for."

Dr Fisher sat down on the edge of the bed. "I see. Well, perhaps it's time you knew that your release from hospital today has several conditions attached to it. One of them is that someone is going to have to stay with you at all times, even at night."

I groaned in disbelief. "But why?"

"Because, although you can clearly dress yourself now, there are still many things you won't be able to do by yourself. Like cooking, for instance."

I sighed in defeat. _He's right. I do need someone to help me do things around the house._

"There's another reason, Sam. That nightmare you had the other night clearly shook you to the core. I don't want you to be on your own if you have another one, because you could go into shock. And if that happens if you're on your own…"

"I understand. I'm not happy about it, but I do understand."

"Good. Nurse Jenkins said that you slept soundly last night. Is that true?"

I started to nod, but then I dropped my gaze as I shook my head. "It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it wasn't a dream either. It woke me, but I was able to go back to sleep afterwards though."

Dr Fisher nodded in understanding. "You've been through a traumatic experience, Sam, even if you can't remember everything. As I've said to you before, I believe that the memories of your accident are locked away in your subconscious, and they could emerge at any time, especially if you see or hear something that triggers it. Now, I don't want these nightmares to plague you, because you do need plenty of rest, so your arm can heal. To help ensure you get that rest, I'm going to prescribe a sedative to help you sleep. It's called Xanax. It is quite strong, so you may experience some side effects with it, but don't stop taking it unless I advise you to. We'll just see how you go on it, okay?"

I nodded slowly. "Does Chief Officer Boyce know about this?"

"No, of course not. But the person taking care of you will need to know, so they can remind you to take it. I'd advise you to let Nurse Flood know too, since she'll be looking after you mostly from now on."

"Of course."

"You only need to take one tablet a day, half an hour before you go to bed. I'll give you the prescription before you leave. It's just to help you get a full eight hours of sleep each night."

I nodded again. "It's been a long time since I've needed to take any prescription medicine."

"I'm sorry, but it is for the best. I'll ask Nurse Jenkins to come and help you finish packing. Charlie should be here shortly."

I was ready to go by the time Charlie arrived. Dr Fisher took us to his office, where he explained to Charlie how I was to be cared for over the next few weeks, as well as the schedule for my medication.

"I'm not actually going to be looking after Sam," Charlie said once Dr Fisher had finished.

I was surprised. "You're not?"

Charlie smiled at me. "No. Station Officer Steele has agreed to look after you."

I stared at Charlie, gobsmacked. Then I rubbed my forehead with my right hand. _Station Officer Steele? Looking after me? Great fires of London!_

"Sam?" Charlie snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

"Sorry, I was just trying to absorb what you said."

"Yes, well we decided that he'd be the best one to look after you. Are you okay with that?"

"I don't know… I mean, I never thought… He is my boss after all…"

"But he's known you almost your entire life," Charlie pointed out.

"That's why it's awkward. He knows me a little too well sometimes."

"We figured that'd be a good thing," Charlie explained with a smirk.

 _Oh, I get it! They all know I'd never disobey Station Officer Steele. Well, maybe not while I'm on duty, but… This could actually be quite fun! It'll be interesting to see what I can get away with._

"Can I be discharged now, please?" I begged Dr Fisher. "I just want to go home."

"Yes, of course. Here's the prescription for the Xanax." Dr Fisher handed the prescription to Charlie. "You can get that filled out at the chemist on your way out. I'll take you to the reception now, so you can be discharged."

"Thank you, Dr Fisher," I said as we made our way out of his office. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome. I'll see you again in six weeks for a check-up. Hopefully, we'll be able to remove the cast then."

"I know I've asked this before, but when do you think I'll be able to go back to work?" I asked as we walked down the hallway.

"I can't give you a definite date, but you should be able to return to light desk duties as soon as you feel like you're ready for it. Just don't push yourself. I'd advise you to take another week off, so you can rest. It'll be up to a fire service doctor to decide when you'll be fit enough to return to your full duties."

"Yes, of course."

When we arrived at the front reception desk, Dr Fisher had me sign a few forms, and then I was free to go. But first, Charlie and I stopped off at the hospital chemist to collect my medication. After that, Charlie helped me put on my thick winter coat before we made our way outside to the carpark. He kindly carried my bag for me.

"I forgot how cold it still is," I muttered as I got into the front passenger seat of Charlie's car. Charlie chuckled as he got into the car as well. He tossed my bag onto the backseat.

"You've just been stuck in a nice, warm hospital for a week," he pointed out. "So, of course you're going to feel the cold."

"I hope you've turned the heating on at my place," I said as I fastened my seatbelt. Charlie did the same before he started up the car.

"Yes, Bronwyn's been looking after it. She's cleaned out the fridge and done your washing for you."

"Remind me to thank her."

"I will."

Charlie drove out of the hospital carpark and out onto the main road. Before long, we'd left Newtown and were heading along the Newtown Road towards Pontypandy.

"Charlie, I know this may sound like a strange request, but could you please stop at the place where I had my accident?" I asked.

"Sure, I can do that. I didn't know where it was at first, but Bronwyn showed me the other day."

A few minutes later, Charlie drove over a rise in the road. Then, he pulled off to the side and parked the car. Without saying a word, we both got out.

"So, apparently, this is where it happened," Charlie explained.

I looked around at the site. I knew the place well, having driven along the Newtown Road thousands of times in my life. There was the rise, and then a couple of hundred meters past it, the road turned sharply to the left.

"Where did they find me?" I wondered.

"Just over here," Charlie said, walking over to a spot on the left-hand side of the road. I followed him, looking around at everything closely. Charlie watched me. He knew that I was trying to remember what had happened. "Anything?" he finally asked.

I shook my head sadly. Then I noticed something. "Is that a burn patch on the wall over there?"

"Yes. That's where Mercury was. She caught fire."

I glanced at Charlie, shocked. "Who put it out?"

"Trevor did. I really shouldn't be telling you this though…"

"Why not?"

"Because you need to be able to remember these details on your own," Charlie explained.

I sighed despondently. "Where's Mercury now?"

"Somewhere in Cardiff. She's a write-off though."

"Oh." I immediately felt sick. _I crashed Mercury to the point where she's a write-off? That's a sackable offence in the fire service, especially if it turns out I did something wrong. Oh, I wish I could remember what happened! No wonder the SCIU have become involved. Come to think of it, I haven't heard much about them in the past few days. I wonder what they're doing?_ "Let's go," I said to Charlie as I began to make my way back over to the car. I started to open the door, but I paused to look at the rise in the road again. _I'm sure that has something to do with the accident. I just don't know what._

…

Meanwhile, in Cardiff, the SCIU were at police headquarters reading through the results of the mechanical report on the remains of Mercury. They'd spent the past couple of days reading through the document, making careful details of important points in the report.

Sighing heavily, Peter closed his copy of the report. "Well, what does everyone think?"

"There's no evidence to suggest that the vehicle was faulty," Karen said. "But, as the mechanic stated, the vehicle was badly burned out, so that could mean there's lost evidence."

"Possibly…" Peter stood up, and he went over to a whiteboard. He wrote three headings at the top – 'The driver', 'The vehicle' and 'The conditions'. "Right, what evidence do we have so far?"

"The conditions weren't favourable," Patrick said. "Snow and ice were all over the road, and it was sunset. The direction of the road pointed directly south-west, so the fading sun could've played a factor."

Nodding, Peter wrote that on the whiteboard. "Good, what else?"

"The vehicle evidence is inconclusive," Karen said.

Peter wrote that down too. "What about the driver?"

"Perfect service record," Michael said. "And he has no known medical conditions that would affect his ability to drive a vehicle."

"Plus, we suspect that he knows more than what he's told us," Karen added.

Peter added that to the whiteboard. Then, he stepped back to take a look at what he'd written. He sighed heavily with frustration. "This is ridiculous! We've spent a week investigating this accident, and we're still no closer to knowing what happened. Normally, we have something to go on, but we're still hitting brick walls."

"Maybe this incident wasn't caused by one particular thing," Patrick suggested. "Maybe it was caused by a combination of things."

"Maybe…" Peter mused. He shook his head. "I'm not satisfied yet though. I know we're missing a lot of information here."

"Perhaps we should try and interview Sam again?" Michael proposed. "Surely, he must be feeling more alert by now."

"And maybe he's remembered something else that he can add to his statement," Karen said.

Peter nodded. "I suppose it can't hurt. I'll phone the hospital and see if we can see him again." And with that, he took out his mobile phone to ring the hospital. He dialled the number and held the phone up to his ear. "I'd like to speak to Doctor Fisher, please."

" _Sure, I'll just transfer you._ "

"Thank you."

There was a moment of silence before Dr Fisher answered. " _Doctor Fisher speaking._ "

"Hello, Doctor Fisher. It's Peter Collins from the SCIU. I was just wondering if we could interview Sam Jones again, please?"

" _Sorry, he was discharged this morning._ "

"I see. Thank you very much." And Peter hung up. "Sam was discharged from hospital this morning."

The team glanced expectantly at each other.

"Anyone fancy another trip to Pontypandy?" Karen asked rhetorically.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 12

Pontypandy was strangely quiet when Charlie drove into the town. I was surprised by the lack of activity.

"Where is everyone?" I wondered.

Charlie shrugged. "They're probably staying inside because of the cold. Oh, I almost forgot. Station Officer Steele wanted to see you as soon as we got back, so I'll drive straight over to the fire station."

"What does he want to see me about?"

Charlie shrugged again. "He didn't say."

I sighed tiredly. For once, I didn't feel like going to the fire station. All I really wanted to do was settle down at home and rest. Resting in hospital wasn't anywhere near as comfortable as resting in the familiar surroundings of my own home.

Minutes later, Charlie parked his car out of the way at the fire station, and we headed inside. Like the town, the fire station appeared to be completely deserted. Upstairs, the door to the Control Room was wide open, but Station Officer Steele wasn't inside.

"Let's try upstairs," Charlie suggested.

I followed him upstairs to the Main Room.

"SURPRISE!"

Startled, I took a step backwards. Everyone was there, standing behind a long table that was covered with a wide assortment of food. Above the table was a banner, which read, 'Welcome Home Sam!'

"Wow! I wasn't expecting this!" I exclaimed.

Station Officer Steele stepped forwards, just as Radar bolted over to me. I knelt down so that Radar could lick my face in greeting.

"Hello, boy! I know you missed me."

Station Officer Steele cleared his throat. "On behalf of everyone in Pontypandy, we'd like to welcome you back home, Sam."

"Thank you," I replied, standing up.

"It was my idea to have the party, Uncle Sam!" Sarah exclaimed as she and James ran forwards to hug me.

"No, it wasn't!" James protested. "It was mine!"

I had to laugh. Then, I gave each of them a hug in turn. "Well, whoever's idea it was, thank you both."

"Oh! Can we eat now?" Norman whined.

"Yes, you can all tuck in," Station Officer Steele agreed. "But let Sam go first, please."

"What!" Norman exclaimed.

"It's okay, sir," I said. "I don't mind if everyone else goes first. I'm not really hungry."

"Oh! Well, in that case, let's eat," Station Officer Steele declared.

While everyone else began to fill their plates, I went over to the kitchen table, so I could sit down. Radar followed me. After a few minutes, Bronwyn kindly brought over a plate of food for me, but I really wasn't hungry. My mind was focused on what Charlie had revealed to me on our way home from Newtown.

 _I crashed Mercury, and now she's a write-off. How could that happen? I've always been a careful driver since…_ I sighed heavily. _It must've been my fault, but what could I have done wrong?_

"Sam?" Helen's voice penetrated my thoughts. I looked up at her as she sat down next to me. "Are you okay? You look very tired and pale."

"I didn't want anyone to make a fuss," I confessed. "To tell you the truth, I just want to go home and rest."

"Then you should. Your health is far more important than anything else. Don't worry about missing the party. I'm sure everyone will understand. Stay there. I'll go and get Charlie and Bronwyn, and we'll take you home."

"Thanks."

Before long, Helen, Charlie, Bronwyn, Radar and myself had snuck away from the party. We entered my house, located behind the fire station, through the backdoor.

"Right, Sam, I've done your laundry and restocked your fridge and pantry," Bronwyn informed me. "I've also changed the sheets on your bed and prepared the guest bedroom for Station Officer Steele."

"Thank you, Bronwyn. I really appreciate your help. In fact, everyone's been amazing."

"It's the least we can do for you, Sam," Helen said, smiling.

I headed into my sitting room, and I sank with relief down onto my comfortable sofa. Just then, Charlie's phone rang.

"Hello? Oh, hello Mr Collins. What can I do for you?" There was a pause as Charlie listened. "I see. Just a moment." He placed his hand over the speaker. "Sam? It's Peter Collins from the SCIU. They want to interview you again."

"When?"

"Later today, if possible."

"All right," I agreed. "But I doubt I'll be able to tell them anything more than I did last time."

"Yes, he's happy to see you today," Charlie relayed over the phone. "About three o'clock? Yes, that should be fine. He doesn't think he'll be able to add anything to what he told you last time, though. All right. We'll see you then." And Charlie hung up the phone. "They'll be here at three o'clock."

"I think I'll have a power nap," I said as I removed my sling. Then, I carefully lay down on my right-hand side on the sofa. "Wake me up when they get here, please."

"I think I'll make some tea," Bronwyn said. "Who'd like some?"

"Yes, please," Helen agreed.

"Me too," Charlie added. And Bronwyn went into the kitchen to make some.

…

"Sam?" Bronwyn called gently. "Wake up. The SCIU is here."

With a reluctant groan, I sat up slowly, just as Charlie escorted the four members of the SCIU into my sitting room. Charlie indicated for everyone to take a seat, wherever they could.

"Well, how are you feeling, Sam?" Peter asked me.

"Better now that I'm home," I answered. Helen kindly helped me put my sling back on.

"That's always the way," Karen agreed.

"Sam, the reason why we've decided to interview you again, is because we keep hitting brick walls in our investigation," Peter explained. "We're hoping that you might have something else to add to what you said last time."

I shook my head doubtfully. "I have had a few flashbacks since we last spoke, but nothing to do with the accident itself."

"You don't know that for sure. Even the smallest detail could help."

"I remember mucking around with some of my friends while we were training in Newtown, but I don't remember leaving or anything to do with Mercury."

Peter nodded slowly. "I see… The problem is, I firmly believe that you're holding something back. There's something you're not telling me."

I hesitated. "I honestly don't remember anything about the accident, or the events leading up to it. Charlie told me that I crashed Mercury, and he showed me that I was found some distance from where Mercury crashed."

"That's true. We took some measurements immediately after the accident. There's no way you could have ended up where you did if you'd been thrown by the force of the crash."

"Which means that I must have jumped clear," I reasoned.

"And that means, you must have known the accident was coming," Michael said sternly.

I frowned when I realised where this was heading. _They think that I deliberately crashed Mercury._

Peter opened his laptop. "As part of our investigation, we've listened to recordings of the radio transitions you made leading up to the accident," he explained. "I have a copy I can play on my laptop, if you want to hear it."

Again, I hesitated. I glanced as Helen, Charlie and Bronwyn, silently asking them for advice. Helen nodded slightly. "Okay. I'll listen to them."

Peter hit the play button on his computer. We all sat in silence as the recording played.

" _Station Officer Steele to Fireman Sam._ "

" _Reading you loud and clear, sir._ "

" _Are you on your way back yet?_ "

" _Yes, sir. I left Newtown about fifteen minutes ago._ "

" _Good, because this snowstorm is blowing in quickly. You didn't see Trevor's bus in Newtown, did you?_ "

" _No, sir. Did he go there?_ "

" _Arnold said that he was intending to travel there, because some of the women wanted to go to the post-Christmas sales._ "

" _I see. Well, if I see them on my way back, I'll let them know about the storm, sir._ "

" _Good. Oh, wait. There's an emergency…"_ There was static for about ten seconds. Then Station Officer Steele spoke again. _"Sam? Are you still there?"_

" _Yes, sir._ "

 _"_ _Mike Flood's van is stuck in a snowdrift near the stone bridge. Do you think you can pull him free on your way back?"_

" _Of course, sir._ "

 _"_ _Excellent! See you soon then. Out._ "

Peter closed his laptop. "You were on your way to that emergency when the accident happened."

"Yes. Charlie told me earlier," I whispered.

"How fast do you normally go when you respond to an emergency?"

"It varies, depending on the conditions at the time."

"Can you give us an approximate speed?" Karen asked.

"No more than ten miles over the speed limit in good weather," I answered. "As an emergency response driver, I undergo a refresher test every five years. We don't have an exact speed to go by, but five to ten miles over the limit is the norm."

"That's interesting…" Michael mused.

"What is?" I wondered.

"Well, initially, we weren't able to get much out of the mechanic's report into the vehicle, but just before we left Cardiff to come here, we got some more information. It seems that, upon impact, the speedometer stopped on forty-seven miles per hour. And what's the speed limit on the Newtown Road?"

"Thirty," I replied. _So, I was seventeen miles over the speed limit._ I felt a nervous knot forming in my stomach.

Karen handed Peter a file, which he opened. "I've been going deep into your record, Sam. It seems that you haven't always been the model fireman that you are today."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Helen raise her eyebrows in surprise. Peter pulled out a piece of paper.

"We found numerous occasions when you were the driver in several incidents. They were all minor, but it makes me wonder if you really should be driving emergency vehicles."

I decided that it was best to not say anything. Bronwyn was the one who spoke instead.

"You cannot use past misdemeanours as part of your evidence."

"Perhaps not, but it makes for amusing reading," Peter replied with a small chuckle. "Did you really run over the Chief Fire Officer's foot?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure you can find the answer to that question without me telling you."

"Oh! And I see that you've coped a speeding fine too… For being five miles over the limit on the M4…"

I immediately felt sick as memories of that night came rushing back. I'd wanted to die that night, but something had held me back. _This has gone far enough._

"I think we should end this interview here," I said firmly. "And I don't think we need to have any more interviews. You've clearly made up your mind that I'm guilty, although you don't really have any hard evidence. I'll be in touch with my lawyer."

Realising that I wasn't going to co-operate with them anymore, the SCIU reluctantly packed up.

"Thank you for your time, Sam," Karen said. "We'll be in touch once we've reached our conclusions."

"I'll show you out," Bronwyn offered.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief once the SCIU had gone. Charlie sat down next to me.

"Sam? You really need to talk to Mr Harrison. He's on your side. The SCIU aren't. They're the prosecution."

"I know," I muttered miserably. "I'm just…scared… I don't want to lose my job."

Charlie placed a hand on my right shoulder. "We'll always be here for you, Sam."

"That's what mum said," I whispered. I choked back the tears that threatened to spill. Charlie pulled me into a tight hug.

"I know it still hurts you, but I thought you'd managed to let go of the pain?"

"That was until…the nightmare…"

"Oh." And Charlie hugged me tighter.

Helen and Bronwyn glanced at each other. "I think we'll get the dinner started, Helen. We'll make a nice roast beef for Sam's first meal home after being in hospital."

"Good idea," Helen agreed. And the ladies went into the kitchen.

"I think I'll go upstairs and have a shower," I told Charlie as we ended the brotherly embrace.

"Good idea. And I can unpack your bag and sort out your washing while you're doing that."

"Thanks Charlie," I said as we started to make our way upstairs. "What would I do without you?"

"Where would you like me to start?" Charlie teased.

…

Later, in the early evening, I was down on the floor in my sitting room, playing a game of tug-of-war with Radar, when Station Officer Steele arrived. He caught me by surprise.

"Sam?"

Startled, I accidentally let go of Radar's tug-of-war toy. Since he'd been tugging at the time, poor Radar went tumbling backwards into the sofa with a startled yelp.

"Sorry Radar," I quickly apologised. Then I stood up. "Yes, sir?"

"Charlie said I'd find you in here. I hope you don't mind me staying to look after you?"

I frowned thoughtfully. "In all honesty, sir, since someone has to stay to look after me, I'd prefer you over anyone else. Sarah and James can be noisy at the best of times. Come with me. I'll show you to your room."

"Thanks, Sam." Station Officer Steele picked up his small suitcase, and he followed me upstairs.

"I don't think you've been upstairs here before, have you, sir?" I asked.

"No, only downstairs."

"Right, well this first door at the top of the stairs is my bedroom," I explained pointing to it. We continued down the hallway. "The first door on the right is the bathroom. The second door on the right is Sarah and James' room, for when they need to sleep over. And this room on the left is where you'll stay." I opened the door and turned on the light.

There was a double bed in the middle of the room, facing the window that looked out onto the street. Against one wall was a small curio cabinet, and in the far corner was a wardrobe. An armchair and reading lamp stood just inside the doorway.

"I must say, this looks cosy, Sam."

"Good. I hope you'll be comfortable," I said as I turned on the heater. "I'll leave you to get settled. The ladies will have dinner ready shortly. It looks like the Floods are going to join us, so hopefully there'll be enough food."

"With Helen and Bronwyn cooking, I'm sure there will be plenty."

Nodding, I closed the door. Turning, I accidentally stood on Radar's tail, making him yelp in pain. I jumped, slamming my injured shoulder into the wall.

"Ow! Radar! What on earth were you doing?" I practically shouted with annoyance. "Go downstairs to your basket!"

Whimpering sadly, Radar slunk off downstairs with his tail between his legs. I immediately felt bad for yelling at him. _He's just trying to protect me,_ I thought as I rubbed my shoulder.

I went downstairs to the kitchen, and I opened the freezer.

"What are you after, Sam?" Bronwyn asked me.

"Just some ice for my shoulder." And I told them what had happened with Radar.

"You really need to be more careful now, Sam," Helen warned me.

"I know. It was just an accident." I placed an ice pack on my shoulder. "Do you have anything I can give to Radar as a peace offering?"

Bronwyn pointed to a plate of beef offcuts. "Those test pieces aren't quite cooked properly. I was going to give them to Radar anyway."

Keeping my right hand holding the ice pack on my left shoulder, I picked up the plate with my left hand. _At least my fingers can still hold things._ "Thanks. I'll give them to him now."

I found Sarah, James and Mandy playing a car racing game on the TV in the sitting room. "Well, I guess this means I won't get to watch the news tonight," I said good-naturedly.

"Sorry, Uncle Sam, but we're having a racing marathon," Sarah replied without taking her eyes off the screen.

"Hey! You pushed me off the track, Mandy!" James protested.

"That's the idea, James!" Mandy retorted.

Shaking my head, I knelt down in front of Radar. After I'd set the plate of beef and the ice pack down, I tenderly stroked his head. "I'm sorry, Radar. I didn't mean to yell at you."

Radar just whined sadly in response. I sighed sadly.

"I know you're just trying to protect me, but you don't need to shadow me inside the house." I ran my hand down to Radar's tail, feeling to see if I'd really hurt him. He whimpered again. _His tail is probably bruised. Poor pup._ I pushed the plate of beef under his nose. "Here you go, boy. I'm really sorry."

Radar seemed to accept my apology, because he stood up and started devouring the beef. At that moment, a bell rang in the kitchen, followed immediately by the doorbell ringing.

"Dinner's ready!" Bronwyn called.

"And that'll be Mike," Helen added as she went to answer the door.

"And that's what I call perfect timing," I muttered to myself.

…

Several hours later, after dinner was over and done with and everyone else had gone home, Station Officer Steele and I found ourselves alone in the sitting room. I was quietly reading a book, while Station Officer Steele amused himself by looking at the photos I had displayed on my mantlepiece. He picked up an old family photo showing Charlie and myself as teenagers with our parents.

"They'd be so proud of you if they could see you now," he said.

I glanced up from my book. "Who? Oh. Them. Yes… Although, I think they were always proud of me."

"Your mother was so overprotective of you though. That's what I remember most about her."

"Me too. I'm glad I went to Cardiff though. I grew up very quickly after that."

"You grew up even faster after they… I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring up those painful memories for you."

I put my book aside. Then, I went over to where Station Officer Steele was standing, and I gently took the photo from him.

"They'll always be painful," I said as I looked at the photo. "Nobody should have to go through what I did at that age. If it had happened now, I think I'd be able to cope with it better." I tenderly replaced the photo on the mantlepiece. Then, sighing, I returned to the sofa. Station Officer Steele joined me.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I've been in the fire service for over thirty years now, and I've seen some pretty horrific things during that time. I've learned to deal with them by not thinking about them. I just react without thinking now."

"Which is why you're such a brilliant Leading Fireman," Station Officer Steele agreed.

"Yes… But, I was only twenty years old when they died. I'd only been a fully qualified fireman for eighteen months, and that incident… Well, let's just say that no novice firefighter should ever have to see the things that I saw that night. I was still relatively new to the job, and although I expected to see people die in fires, I never expected my first burn victims to be my own parents."

We sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Station Officer Steele stood up.

"I need to go to bed. Got any early start tomorrow."

"Who's on duty tonight?"

"Penny and Ellie."

"Bit of a girl's night at the fire station then," I said with a knowing wink.

"Yes. And when you're feeling up to it, we could always have another boy's night. Now, where did Charlie put your medication?" And he left the room.

I groaned inwardly. I was hoping he'd forgotten about my medication.

"Ah! Here it is! Come into the kitchen, Sam."

"Is that an order, sir?"

"YES!"

Rather reluctantly, I went into the kitchen. Station Officer Steele handed me a Xanax pill and a glass of water.

"I'm going to watch you to ensure that you actually take that pill," he said sternly, and he folded his arms across his chest.

Knowing that I couldn't avoid it, I swallowed the pill.

"Good. Now, let's lock up and go to bed."

Minutes later, Radar followed me into my bedroom, and I closed the door. He curled up in his basket, which I always kept at the foot of my bed. Then, I tenderly covered him in his favourite blanket.

"Goodnight, Radar," I said as I stroked his head. "I hope all is forgiven."

He licked my hand as if to say, 'yes, you're forgiven'.

Reassured, I changed into my pyjamas before climbing into bed. One of my curtains was opened slightly, so I could just see part of the fire station.

 _I hope this accident doesn't mean the end of my career. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I can't be a fireman anymore. It means everything to me. I'll definitely phone Mr Harrison tomorrow. If I must talk to someone about my accident, I'd rather talk to him than the SCIU._

And with that, I fell into a fitful sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 13

Station Officer Steele was up early the next morning. He'd already checked on Sam twice during the night, but the poor man had remained sound asleep. The medication had obviously worked, but now Station Officer Steele had a problem. He needed to go to work, but he couldn't leave Sam on his own.

He entered Sam's room. Sam hadn't moved at all during the night. He'd slept on his right-hand side, which Station Officer Steele knew was his favourite sleeping position. Station Officer Steele hesitated before he reached out and shook Sam by the shoulder.

"Sam? Sam, it's time to wake up."

Sam didn't respond. He was totally dead to the world. Station Officer Steele sighed with frustration. Drawing back the curtains, he looked out at the fire station. _I really need to get going…_

From his basket at the foot of the bed, Radar sat up and whined. He went over to the open door and whined again. It took Station Officer Steele a few seconds to figured out what Radar wanted.

"Oh! Right, well, yes, I suppose I'd better let you go outside. Come on."

Radar bounded away down the stairs. Station Officer Steele left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He didn't have the heart to wake Sam, especially since he obviously needed more sleep. He took out his mobile phone as he descended the stairs, and he dialled Bronwyn's number. It rang four times before she answered

"Hello?"

"Morning, Bronwyn. It's Station Officer Steele. Are you able to come and look after Sam now, please? It's just that I need to get to work, and he's still asleep."

"Is he? That's unusual."

"I've decided not to wake him. I think the medication he had last night has knocked him out. I'm sure he'll wake up once it wears off."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right. I'll be there shortly. Bye." And Bronwyn hung up.

Station Officer went over to the backdoor, where Radar was impatiently waiting to go out. As soon as Station Officer Steele had opened the door, Radar hurried out into the snow-covered garden.

Within about five minutes, Bronwyn had arrived at Sam's house. Station Officer Steele let her in through the front door.

"I'd better get going. I've let Radar out into the backyard, so I'll let him back in if he's done. Sam isn't awake yet."

"Okay. Thanks Station Officer Steele. Have a good day."

Radar was ready to come back in, so Station Officer Steele let him in as he left through the backdoor. After she'd given Radar some breakfast, Bronwyn went upstairs to check on Sam.

…

"Sam? Come on, sleepyhead. It's time for you to wake up."

I moaned sleepily as Bronwyn's voice penetrated through my sleep. "Five more minutes…" I muttered, although, I wasn't sure if I'd actually said that, or only thought it. I must have said it, because Bronwyn chuckled.

"It's almost nine o'clock, Sam."

Without sitting up, I wiped the sleepy dust away from my eyes. "I'm still tired…"

"That's just the Xanax," Bronwyn explained. "One of the side-effects is drowsiness. It should wear off once you're awake."

"That's because it's a sedative, right?" I asked as I sat up. I felt a bit dizzy, so I rested my head in my hands for a moment until it had passed.

"Yes. Aside from the drowsiness, did it work?"

I raised my head and our eyes met. "Well, I didn't have any nightmares last night, so I guess it did. I haven't slept that heavily for a long time."

Bronwyn patted my shoulder. "I'll go and get breakfast ready for you."

"Thanks."

After Bronwyn had left my room, I got up and I gathered up some casual clothes and a plastic cover for my sling. Then, I went into the bathroom to shower.

…

About an hour later, while Bronwyn was tidying up my kitchen, I called Mr Harrison. He answered on the second ring.

" _Good morning. Mr Harrison speaking._ "

"Morning, Mr Harrison. It's leading Fireman Jones." I drew in a deep breath. "I'm ready to talk to you now."

" _Excellent. You're at home now, right?_ "

"Yes. I was released from hospital yesterday."

" _Good. I'll be there in about half an hour._ "

"Thanks." I hung up the phone with a tired sigh. Bronwyn joined me in my sitting room.

"You need to trust him, Sam. If this goes to court, he's going to be the only one on your side."

"I know, Bronwyn. It's just hard to talk about things that I don't know anything about."

"So, you still don't remember anything about the crash?"

I shook my head. Bronwyn patted my shoulder again before she returned to the kitchen. I went over to my desk, and I turned on my computer. I knew I'd have a lot of emails waiting for me.

I was halfway through writing a routine email to Chief Fire Officer Boyce, when the doorbell rang. I remained at my computer while Bronwyn escorted Mr Harrison into my sitting room.

"Hello, Sam."

I put my computer into sleep mode, and I spun around to greet my lawyer. "Hello, Mr Harrison. Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure. You're looking a lot better than you were in the hospital."

"Thanks… Um… I was just wondering if we could talk on a first-name basis from now on?"

"Of course. You may call me Geoff." He looked down at Radar. "Is this your dog?"

"Sort of. He technically belongs to the brigade, but I'm his primary carer."

"I see… Why don't we go for a walk in the park? You must be tired of being cooped up inside."

I nodded in agreement and I stood up. "That's a good idea. Let's go. Radar? Walkies."

With an excited 'yap', Radar bolted to the backdoor. I followed him, and Geoff followed me. I retrieved Radar's leash from the hook on the wall, and I clipped it onto his collar. Bronwyn joined us.

"Don't forget your coat and gloves, Sam," she reminded me.

"Erm…" I glanced down at my broken arm. "Could you help me put them on, please?"

"Sure."

Minutes later, Geoff, Radar and I left my house. We cut through the Fire Station grounds on our way to the park. It wasn't until we were carefully making our way down the snow-covered stairs that Geoff decided to break the silence between us.

"So, Sam, why don't you tell me some more about yourself? I know that you trained in Cardiff and you've been a Leading Fireman for most of your career. How did you end up going from Cardiff to your hometown of Pontypandy? You said earlier that you didn't apply for a transfer."

"That's true. You see, I've been in the fire service since I was fifteen years old. I was a Fire Cadet in Cardiff before I joined the academy there when I turned eighteen. After my training, I spent six months on probation at the Cardiff Central Fire Station, which is also where I did my Fire Cadet training. About a year later, I did the exam to become a Leading Fireman, which I passed. Shortly after that, I was transferred to the Pontypandy brigade as their new Leading Fireman, and I've been there ever since."

We'd reached the bottom of the stairs by then. I let Radar off his leash and he took off running across the snow. Then, Geoff and I started walking through the park.

"I see," Geoff continued. "But, even though Pontypandy is your hometown, why have you never accepted a promotion? You're city trained, so you could always go back there."

"I know, and I can't deny I haven't considered it. I really enjoyed the excitement of being in a city brigade. To be honest, when I first came back here, I thought I'd be bored. I was only intending to stay until another Leading Fireman could be found, and then I'd transfer back to Cardiff. But, I'm glad to say that I was wrong. If anything, I'm probably busier here that I would have been if I'd gone back to Cardiff. I'm happier too."

Geoff nodded in understanding. "What do you enjoy most about being in the fire brigade?"

I frowned thoughtfully. "That's not something I've really thought about… I guess it's the adrenalin rush I get, followed by the joy of reuniting people with their loved ones."

"I understand. And, if you could no longer do your job, what do you think you might do with yourself?"

I glanced down at my broken arm. Geoff's question was the same one I'd been asking myself since my accident. "I honestly don't know. I couldn't imagine not being in the fire service. I know that one day I'll have to retire, but I hope that won't be for at least another twenty or thirty years."

"In that case, I'll do my best to ensure that you do get to continue. Tell me about your family. I understand that your parents have been dead for many years."

"Yes," I answered quietly as those memories came flooding back. We stopped walking and I stared off into the distance as I spoke. "They were killed in a car accident near Cardiff, while they were on their way back home from visiting my aunt in London. I… There was a major accident on the M4 due to heavy fog, and… I…" I swallowed as tears rose up in my eyes.

"You were amongst the first firefighters to respond," Geoff finished softly.

I looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"

"It was in your records."

"Oh." There was silence for a moment while I composed myself. Geoff kindly handed over his handkerchief.

"Thank you," I whispered, and I dabbed my eyes with it. "I'm sorry. I haven't thought about my parents' deaths in ages."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. They were your parents, and you obviously loved them. I take it that you tend to push bad memories to the back of your mind, right?"

I nodded, and I handed Geoff's handkerchief back to him. We then resumed our walk. "This is the first time I've had nightmares since I was a child."

"That's normal given what you've been through. Let's talk about the day of the accident now. What do you remember?"

"I remember leaving Pontypandy and arriving in Newtown. I can also remember chatting with my friends before we started our training. That's all I've been able to remember so far."

"When was your last flashback?"

"I'm not sure. It was a few days ago. I also had a really bad nightmare, and so I've been sedated at night ever since."

"Hmm… That's a shame. No doubt the sedative is stopping more flashbacks."

"Do you think I should stop taking them?"

"No. You doctor has obviously decided that you need them, so you must keep taking them. I'm sure we'll work out what happened to you soon. What have the SCIU come up with?"

"They think that I was driving recklessly or excessively speeding when I crashed Mercury into the wall."

"That is a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence that we've seen. However the way I see it, given the location where you were found, it's obvious that you were aware that something terrible was about to happen, so you made the conscious decision to jump clear before Mercury crashed."

I nodded thoughtfully. "So, you don't agree with the SCIU?"

Geoff shook his head. "Your service record has told me a great deal about yourself. In my opinion, there's no way you were driving recklessly that evening. We'd have more evidence if you really were. Besides, it's my job to prove that you are innocent of whatever charges the SCIU come up with."

I breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thanks. So, what happens now?"

"I want to investigate the vehicle you were driving more closely. I'm going to Cardiff tomorrow to examine it with an independent mechanic. Hopefully, we'll find something that the police have missed."

We stopped walking and I whistled. Radar came running back over to me. When he reached me, I snapped the lead back onto his collar. "Thank you. I hope you'll let me know if you find anything significant."

"I will, Sam. Let's keep in closer contact from now on."

"Yes…"

"I know you think that being unable to remember your accident is a problem, but it really isn't. There'll be other evidence out there, Sam. We just need to find it. I'll be in touch. Take care of yourself."

And with that, he patted my right shoulder and walked away. I watched him make his way towards the stairs. Sighing heavily, I looked down at Radar. "What do you think we should do now, Radar?"

Radar looked up at me and whined.

"Hello, Sam."

Turning, I saw Lizzie approaching, carrying a small cardboard box.

"Hello, Lizzie. What have you got in there?"

"A little robin that Trevor found a few weeks ago. It was caught up in a tree by some fishing wire that had become entangled around its leg. It was lucky Trevor noticed it, or it would've died. Now, it's ready to be released."

"May I take a look at it, please?"

"Of course!" Lizzie held up the box, so I could peek inside the air holes. I could just see the little robin cowering in a corner.

"Poor little thing! I don't suppose I could release him? Please?"

Lizzie smiled warmly as she set the box down on a nearby bench. "Of course you may, if you really want to. I'll just get him out for you."

"Uh…" I indicated to my arm and Radar. Smiling, Lizzie kindly tied Radar to the bench leg.

"There now," she said, before opening the box. Reaching inside, she tenderly removed the robin. "Here he is. Now, hold your uninjured hand next to your chest."

I did so, and Lizzie gently placed the delicate little bird in the space between my chest and my hand. I closed my gloved fingers around him, keeping him safe and warm against my body. The robin gave an impatient tweet. It was hard to believe that such a tiny creature could make that much noise.

"Okay," Lizzie said gently. "When you're ready, open your hand. He should just fly away."

I did as Lizzie instructed. Sure enough, the robin took off as soon as he saw freedom. I smiled as I watched him fly into a nearby tree.

"Well, he seems happy to be home. And so am I."

"We're all happy to have you back with us, Sam. You really frightened us." Lizzie untied Radar and handed his leash back to me. Then, she picked up the empty box. "I'd better get back to the surgery. I'll see you later, Sam."

"Yes. Bye Lizzie. And thank you."

"You're welcome."

I returned home with Radar shortly before lunchtime. I smiled when I saw Bronwyn fussing around in my kitchen.

"I'm back, safe and sound," I told her.

"I wasn't too worried, since you had Radar with you."

"What's for lunch?"

"Cawl. Your mother's recipe. Charlie found her recipe book in our attic a few months ago."

I frowned. "She only ever made that for us whenever we were sick."

Bronwyn shrugged. "You've got a broken arm. That's close enough. Now, go wash up. It'll be ready by the time you get back."

I obliged, only because I knew that it was easier for me to do what I was told instead of protesting. My friends and family would get their way in the end anyway.

…

 _Everything was shaking. The pots were shaking. The patio was shaking. Even the ground beneath my feet was shaking. Then, everything started to collapse around me. Even the ground._

 _"_ _Jumping Geraniums!" I exclaimed in shock. Although I'd experienced earth tremors before, this one was unlike any I'd ever seen. A crack formed in the ground, and it came towards me at an alarming rate. "Beth sy'n digwydd? (what's happening?)"_

 _Terrified, I walked backwards to try and get away from it, but then the ground just seemed to disappear beneath my feet. I screamed as I felt myself falling into a bottomless pit._

…

I bolted into a sitting position, gasping for air. Looking around, I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that I was safely in my bed. Glancing at my clock, I saw that it was just after midnight.

The door opened, and Station Officer Steele entered the room. He shone a torch in my face, making me flinch and look away. "Are you okay, Sam? I heard you scream."

I sighed heavily. "I just had another flashback."

"About the accident?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter."

Station Officer Steele came over to my bed. "Yes, it does, Sam. What was the flashback about?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You must, Sam."

I sighed again. "Do you remember that time when I fell into the sinkhole that opened up next to the house the Flood's now own? It was back when Penny first moved here from Newtown."

Station Officer Steele nodded. "Yes? Oh…"

Now that I'd managed to calm down, I lay back down on my pillows. "I thought the Xanax was supposed to help me sleep without having nightmares?"

"Apparently, it can cause insomnia, as well as drowsiness." Station Officer Steele kindly adjusted the bedcovers around me. "Try not to think about that incident with the sinkhole. After all, we did manage to get you out in time."

"Mmm…" I muttered sleepily. I could feel the sedative kicking in strongly now. The last thing I heard was Station Officer Steele quietly leaving my room. Then, I quickly drifted back to sleep under the influence of the drug as it finally came into effect.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 14

"Ah, Sam! It's nice to see you up and about at a normal hour this morning," Station Officer Steele greeted me the next morning as I came downstairs. "How are you feeling today?"

"More alert than I was yesterday."

"That's good. Bronwyn and Charlie will be here in a few minutes, but I need to get to the station. Do you think you'll be all right on your own for a few minutes?"

"Of course. I'll be fine, especially with Radar to look after me." I tenderly stroked his head.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later tonight then."

"Yes. Have a good day."

"You too."

After Station Officer Steele had gone, I managed to pour myself a cup of tea using only one hand. It wasn't easy, but I did it without spilling or breaking anything. I'd just sat down at the kitchen table to drink it when Charlie and Bronwyn arrived.

"Morning, Sam," Bronwyn greeted me. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Much better, thanks."

"Did you have anymore nightmares last night?" Charlie asked.

I hesitated. "It was more of a flashback really… Wait a minute. How did you know about that?"

"Station Officer Steele told us when he phoned this morning," Bronwyn explained.

"Oh."

Charlie sat down next to me. "It's okay, Sam. We're all here to help you."

"I don't need any help. I'm fine."

Charlie looked at me sceptically, but he wisely decided not to push the issue any further. "Got any plans for today?"

"It's difficult to make any plans when I've got this to worry about." I lifted my casted arm slightly to emphasis my point. "What are your plans?"

"We don't have anything planned, because we've decided to spend the day with you," Bronwyn explained.

"Oh. Well, I haven't had any breakfast yet."

"One full English breakfast coming right up," Bronwyn teased.

"Make that a Welsh breakfast," I told her firmly. "You know I can't stand black puddings, and you won't find any in my kitchen."

"Lucky I went fishing early this morning then," Charlie muttered. "I managed to collect a nice load of cockles."

"I'll phone James and ask him to bring some over," Bronwyn said, and she took out her mobile phone to ring him.

"Uh, don't trouble yourself, Bronwyn! I'm happy to just have some muesli and fruit."

Bronwyn stubbornly shook her head. "You are going to be spoilt until you recover, whether you like it or not, Sam," she told me firmly. "If anyone deserves a full Welsh breakfast, it's you."

While Bronwyn was busily arranging my breakfast, Charlie and I discussed what we could do during the day.

"I do need to take Radar for a walk later," I told him. "But aside from that, I have no idea what to do with myself."

"We could always play a game," Charlie suggested.

"Like what?"

"A board game, or maybe Tiddlywinks?"

"I'm a bit tired of Tiddlywinks. Let's go upstairs and see what I've got. I think I put the games I have inside the cupboard in Sarah and James' room."

Charlie and I headed upstairs, and we entered the guest room that Sarah and James shared whenever they needed to sleep over. Charlie gave an impressed whistle when he saw how tidy the room was.

"I wish they'd keep their own rooms as tidy as this one!"

"They know they're not allowed to play any computer games unless their room is tidy when they stay with me," I explained.

"You'd make a good dad one day, Sam."

I shook my head. "I'm too busy for that. Besides, I love being an uncle." I opened the cupboard. "Right! Let's see what we have here… Monopoly…"

"In Welsh," Charlie pointed out.

"Scrabble…"

"Also in Welsh."

"Dominos…"

Charlie scoffed. "At least that comes in only one language."

"Not my fault that I can speak our native language more fluently than you can…" I took down the dominoes, but the box was heavier than I'd been expecting, and it slipped out of my hand. There was a loud clutter as the dominoes scattered across the wooden floor. I groaned in disbelief while Charlie bent down to gather them up. "Sorry Charlie."

"Not your fault, Sam. Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That box in the bottom corner of the cupboard."

I crouched down as I looked at where he was pointing. "I don't know. I haven't see it before."

Charlie reached in and he pulled out the box. It turned out to be an old metal biscuit tin; about the size of an A4 piece of paper and decorated with Christmas scenes. It was old, rusty and covered with dust though. Charlie blew the dust off the lid.

"Thanks!" I exclaimed. "Now I'll have to vacuum in here."

"Don't worry. I'll do it. Let's take this box downstairs and see what's in it."

"Charlie, I can guarantee that you won't find any gold in there. Or money."

"You never know, Sam," Charlie smirked. "Say, wasn't this the cupboard that mum and dad used to have in their bedroom?"

I shrugged. "Probably. I forget who got what when we were sorting out their will. In fact, I've forgotten most of what happened during the weeks after their deaths."

Charlie put an arm around my uninjured shoulder. "It's a bit of a blur to me too, but I knew I had to keep it together for you. You completely fell apart then."

"I know." I quickly swallowed the tears that were threatening to form. "Let's go and see if Bronwyn's finished cooking my breakfast yet."

She hadn't, so I went with Charlie into the sitting room to open the box. Inside, we found nothing more than a pile of old Christmas cards and some papers.

"See? There's nothing of any importance in there," I told him as he opened up one of the Christmas cards.

"Nothing of any importance?" Charlie repeated in disbelief. "Sam! This is mum's Christmas card box! She must have kept it hidden in that cupboard for years, and none of us had any idea it was there. Which is amazing considering you've moved twice since you moved back here from Cardiff."

I decided not to say anything. I'd been very close to my mother, despite the fact that she'd been overprotective of me, so I wasn't quite sure about how I should react to this discovery.

"Hey! Look at this one, Sam! We wrote this card together back in 1980 because you couldn't afford to buy one for mum and dad that year."

I hesitated before I took it from him. I could see my childish handwriting wishing our parents a merry Christmas. I drew in a deep breath to suppress the sob that rose up in my throat. I quickly handed the card back to Charlie. He unfolded a piece of paper that had been lying on top of the cards.

"This is a list of all the contact details for mum's friends and family!" he said excitedly.

"So?"

Charlie finally looked up at me. "Sam. Aunt Susan is on this list."

I immediately paled, and I sank down into the nearest armchair. Charlie leapt up and he put his arms around me.

"Sam! Are you feeling okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"Don't EVER mention that name in my presence again!" I snapped.

"You don't still blame her for what happened, do you?"

"Of course I do!" Enraged, I stood up. "If it wasn't for her, mum and dad would still be alive! I blame her for everything I've had to suffer through for the past thirty years!"

Charlie was so stunned by my outburst that he remained frozen where he was. Even Radar cowered behind the sofa. Bronwyn cautiously entered the room.

"Sam? Your breakfast is ready," she told me gently.

Her tone calmed me down almost immediately. Without saying another word, I headed into the kitchen to have my breakfast. I could hear Charlie and Bronwyn talking quietly to each other through the open doorways.

"What was all that shouting about?" Bronwyn wondered.

"Sam's upset because I mentioned our Aunt Susan. He still blames her for what happened to our parents."

"Oh. You can't really blame him for that though."

"No, I guess I don't. The things he saw that night would've been bad enough for him to deal with even without our parents being there. I'm amazed he decided to stay in the fire service after that. I know I wouldn't have."

There was silence for a moment, so I guessed they were having a cuddle. Then, Charlie spoke again.

"Sam behaved very differently just now, and it scared me. The only other time I've seen him that angry was after our parents' funeral. I thought he was going to try and kill himself that day."

I'd heard enough. Charlie's comments caused a tremendous rage to boil up inside me, and it only released itself when I snatched up the salt shaker and hurled it with all my strength at the kitchen window.

CRASH!

A pane of glass shattered and cascaded everywhere in thousands of pieces. Having released my anger, I collapsed onto the floor in tears. Seconds later, Charlie and Bronwyn knelt down on the floor beside me.

"Are you hurt, Sam?" Bronwyn asked me with concern.

I shook my head. They helped me stand up.

"I'll take Sam for a long walk along the beach," Bronwyn told Charlie. "Can you please phone Mike and ask him to fix the window? But don't tell him how it happened, okay?"

"Sure. I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't realise you could hear us."

I merely nodded as Bronwyn escorted me out of the kitchen. Once we were in the hallway, I wiped the tears away from my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bronwyn. I don't know why I got so angry all of a sudden."

Bronwyn placed a hand on my uninjured arm. "It's because you care. Now, let's put on our coats so we don't catch a chill. Here, let me help you. We'll take Radar with us. Radar! Walkies!"

…

After Sam, Bronwyn and Radar had gone, Charlie took out his phone to call Mike. He'd rarely seen Sam behave the way he had just then, and the rage he'd seen in Sam's eyes had really frightened him.

 _Perhaps I did push him too far by going on about our parents. He's never really opened up to anyone about it, except for myself and Station Officer Steele._

Charlie dialled Mike's number. It rang about five times before Mike answered. " _Hello?_ "

"Mike? It's Charlie. Can you come to Sam's house, please? We have a broken window pane that needs repairing."

" _Sure. I'll be there shortly._ "

"Thanks Mike." Charlie hung up his phone. _Guess I'd better start sweeping up that glass… But I think I'd better tell Helen about what Sam just did. It's not normal behaviour for him._

Charlie dialled Helen's phone. She answered it almost immediately. " _Hello?_ "

"Hi Helen. It's Charlie. I need to talk to you about Sam…"

" _Is he okay?_ "

"I'm not sure. You see, he just flew into a rage and broke one of the window panes in his kitchen. Mike's on his way here to fix it, but Bronwyn doesn't want anyone to know about what happened. I still felt that you should be told at the very least, and maybe Station Officer Steele."

" _Station Officer Steele hasn't reported anything unusual,_ " Helen mused. " _Do you know what caused him to go into a rage?_ "

"I discovered something that belonged to our mother, and I'm afraid I didn't stop talking about it when I should have. Sam is very sensitive about anyone talking about our parents, because of the way they died."

" _I understand. I admit I don't know everything about what happened to your parents, but if the stories I've heard are true, it must have been horrific for Sam._ "

"It was. He was never quite the same afterwards, but his behaviour today was definitely unusual, which is why I felt that you should know about what happened."

" _Where is he now?_ "

"Bronwyn took him for a walk down along the beach to calm down."

" _Good. He's still taking the Xanax, isn't he?_ "

"As far as I know, he is."

" _Right… You see, one of the more unusual side-effects from Xanax is that it can cause some people to fly into rages and behave aggressively. All I can advise is that you keep a close eye on him and watch his mood changes. If it happens again, I'll get in contact with Doctor Fisher._ "

"Okay, thanks Helen."

" _No worries. I'll pass that information on to Station Officer Steele. He'll need to know what to watch out for._ "

"Yes. Thanks again. Bye."

" _Bye Charlie._ "

Charlie hung up his phone just as Mike arrived. He whistled softly when he saw the broken window pane.

"How did that happen, Charlie?" he asked.

"It was my fault. I was playing a bit of indoor golf and one of my shots went wild. I've packed it away now, and I was just about to clean up the glass."

Mike held up a hand. "I'll do that, Charlie. Don't want you cutting your hands. Where's Sam?"

"Gone for a walk with Bronwyn and Radar."

"Oh, I see! And you want the window fixed before they get back, right?"

"Yes."

"Say no more, Charlie! I'll have a new window pane installed before you know it."

And he did. Mike had the new pane installed and the glass cleaned up long before Sam, Bronwyn and Radar returned. Sam barely even noticed the new pane though, because he headed straight into the sitting room where he flopped, exhausted, down onto the sofa.

"I wore him out," Bronwyn explained as they watched him from the sitting room doorway. "Deliberately. Made him walk up and down the beach about five times. He'll sleep clear through till dinner time."

"You'd better have something big prepared then. He'll be starving once he wakes up."

Bronwyn smiled knowingly. "Don't worry about that. I'll have something he likes all ready for him by then."

"I told Helen about what Sam did," Charlie confessed.

"What did she say?"

"She suspects that it might be Sam's medication that's causing him to behave aggressively."

Bronwyn didn't look convinced. "He lost his temper once. That doesn't mean that the medication he's on is affecting him that way. If it happens again, then yes, that is something to consider."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "You're right. I guess I did push him over the edge too."

"You certainly did!" Bronwyn admonished.

Sam moaned and shifted in his sleep. Charlie pressed a finger to his lips, reminding her to lower her voice. Together, they left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

…

 _I stared at the stone wall that was fast approaching. It drew closer and closer until I finally jumped off to my left. I felt myself flying through the air for what seemed like an eternity before I collided heavily onto the snow-covered ground. At the same time, there was a sickening crash as Mercury smashed front-on into the stone wall…_

"Ah!" I yelped as I came to my senses. My left arm throbbed painfully, so I tenderly nursed it against my chest. Charlie and Bronwyn burst into my sitting room while I was still trying to catch my breath.

"Sam! Are you okay?" Charlie asked me with concern. "What happened? Did you hurt your arm?"

"I'm…not sure," I gasped. "It really hurts!"

"You must've leaned on it in your sleep," Bronwyn reasoned. "I'm calling Helen."

I was about to protest, but the look Bronwyn cast to me as she took out her mobile phone made me to bite my tongue.

Helen arrived a few minutes later. I was still lying down on my sofa, nursing my injured arm.

"Thanks for coming so quickly, Helen," Bronwyn said as she showed Helen into the sitting room.

"That's all right. I was in the area anyway." She placed her medical bag down on one of the armchairs. "Right, Sam. Bronwyn and Charlie tell me that you've been having a bit of an emotional day, is that right?"

I nodded meekly. "I'm sorry I've caused so much fuss."

"Sam," Helen said firmly. "You have nothing to apologise for. You've had a lot to deal with, physically and emotionally, so I'm not surprised you're a bit temperamental. Pain can also make people behave differently from how they normally would." While Helen spoke, she pressed her fingers around my wrist to feel my pulse. "Bronwyn said that she thinks you leaned on your arm while you were asleep. Where does it hurt?"

I placed my right hand over the centre of my left forearm to show her. It was right where my bones had broken.

"Can you move your fingers?"

I hesitantly did so.

"I don't think it's anything serious," Helen mused. "The pin and the cast are designed to keep your bones straight until they've healed. However, you're going to suffer some muscle wastage over the next few weeks. That's probably what's caused the pain. You probably strained a muscle because you haven't had to use it for over a week."

I nodded thoughtfully in agreement. "That makes sense. I woke up suddenly because I had another flashback."

"Of your accident?" Helen asked. She sounded a bit surprised and excited.

I nodded. "It was the moment of impact. I remember jumping off Mercury and landing in the snow. I also remember hearing Mercury crash."

"Anything else?" Bronwyn asked hopefully.

I shook my head. Helen smiled reassuringly down at me. "That's okay, Sam. The fact that you've now remembered the moment before you went unconscious is a positive sign that you will make a full recovery."

"Do you really think so?" I wasn't quite sure if she was serious, or just trying to make me feel better.

"I'm sure of it," Helen told me sincerely.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 15

"Just phone her, Charlie," Bronwyn insisted the following morning, which was exactly a week after Sam's accident. "The worst that can happen is that she's no longer there."

"That's true. And it is Saturday, so hopefully someone will be there to answer. It's just that, well, for the past thirty years, Sam has been the only relation that I've been in contact with. I'm not sure what I should say to her."

"Just say, 'Hi, I'm your nephew, Charlie. I know we haven't spoken for thirty years, but I think it's time we had a chat'."

Charlie started dialling the phone number into his mobile. "That's not funny." He put the phone to his ear. It rang four times before a woman's voice answered.

" _Hello?_ "

Charlie was momentarily caught off-guard by the woman's voice. It was a lot younger than he'd been expecting. "Hi, erm, um… I'm looking for Susan Clarke."

" _Who's asking?_ "

"Charlie Jones. I'm her nephew."

There was silence for a few seconds, but then the woman spoke again. " _My name's Rachel Clarke. I'm her daughter._ "

Charlie was astonished. "That means you're my cousin!"

" _I guess… Um, I'm sorry, but this is very awkward for me…_ "

"Me too."

" _How did you get my number?_ "

"My brother and I stumbled across our mother's old Christmas card box yesterday. It had Aunt Susan's name on the list, along with this phone number and the address."

" _Oh. Well, I'm afraid my mother died five years ago._ "

Charlie breathed a small sigh of disappointment. "I'm sorry."

" _Don't be. She died in a hit-and-run accident. The driver was convicted and is now serving twenty years in prison. So, there has been some justice served._ "

"I'm glad they caught the driver. What was Aunt Susan like? I'm afraid I don't remember her very well."

" _She was very quiet. She kept to herself a lot after her sister, your mother, died. What upset her the most was the fact that she didn't know how to contact you. She tried, but by then the phone had been cut off, and the house was owned by someone else. She assumed that you'd moved away from the town you were living in. I've forgotten which town that was._ "

"Pontypandy," Charlie supplied. "Actually, we've never left. We did sell our parents' house, but that was only because we didn't want to live there anymore. Too many memories."

" _When you say 'we', I assume you're referring to your brother as well._ "

"Yes."

" _What's his name?_ "

"Sam. Samuel. He prefers to be called Sam though."

" _Is he older or younger than you?_ "

"Younger by six years. Do you have any siblings?"

" _No. I'm an only child._ "

"Oh. Well, the address I have here says that you live in London?"

" _Yes. In West Brompton. I'm the CEO of the fashion company London Pride. What do you do?_ "

"Er… I'm a fisherman."

" _Nice! That's a very important job. After all, most of us eat seafood._ "

Charlie breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "I was afraid you'd look down on me because of that," he confessed.

" _I'm not like that,_ " Rachel reassured him. " _What about your brother, Sam? What does he do?_ "

"He's a fireman."

" _That's quite a dangerous job, although it's a very important one too. You know, I think it would be great if we could meet and get to know each other properly._ "

"Yes, it would be good…" Charlie mused thoughtfully.

" _Tell you what… I have a few days off due to the Bank holiday, so I'm happy to come to Wales to meet you and Sam. Is Cardiff close to Pontypandy?_ "

"It's about an hour's drive away," Charlie replied.

" _I was thinking of flying to Cardiff tomorrow afternoon, if you're willing to pick me up from the airport._ "

"I can do that," Charlie agreed. "Just let me know what time you expect to arrive, and I'll be there."

" _Thanks. I can't wait to finally meet you._ "

"Same. Oh, I'd better give you my mobile phone number and email address…"

Charlie hung up his phone a few minutes later, having finalised everything with Rachel. Bronwyn was staring at him.

"That sounded like it went well. So, are we to expect an extra guest tomorrow?"

"Yes. My cousin, Rachel. She's flying in from London. I'm just worried about how Sam will react."

"Quite badly if I know him. Would you like me to be there for moral support?"

"If you could. Now, how am I going to tell him?"

"Well, you don't have long to work it out."

…

I'd been spending a quiet morning at home, with Penny keeping an eye on me while she assisted me with my housework. Thanks to Bronwyn, there wasn't that much to do, but what was left still needed to be done.

"Sam you don't have to help me clear the dishwasher," Penny insisted. "You're supposed to be resting, remember?"

"I've had enough of a rest, and I want to be able to do things in my own home, please," I retorted. A plate nearly slipped out of my hand, but Penny managed to catch it in time.

"Well, unless you want a pile of broken crockery to eat off, I suggest you stop."

I threw up my uninjured hand in mock defeat. "Point taken."

Penny chuckled. "I know it must be frustrating for you, Sam, but you need to take a step back for your health's sake."

"It's only a broken arm!"

"Which you had to have surgery on. A week in the hospital is a big deal, Sam. Most people who break a bone are only in there for a few hours."

I sighed despondently. Just then, I heard a car pull up outside, so I peeked out of the kitchen window from behind the lace curtains. It was followed by two other cars. They all parked in the street outside my house. I immediately recognised the second car due to its paintwork.

"It's Chief Fire Officer Boyce, and I suspect he's brought the SCIU with him," I told Penny.

Penny put down the plates she was holding. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes, please. I may need you for moral support."

Penny went to answer the doorbell when it sounded, while I went into my sitting room. My gut instinct told me that they were here to tell me the result of their investigation, so I tried to mentally prepare myself for it.

I breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw Mr Harrison enter my sitting room first, followed by Chief Fire Officer Boyce and the SCIU. I remained standing, and I made no indication to offer any of them a seat. I would've offered one to Mr Harrison and Chief Fire Officer Boyce, but I didn't want to cause a scene by only offering seats to two of them.

As soon as Penny had joined us, Peter began speaking. "I think you know why we're here, Sam."

I nodded slightly, since I couldn't think of anything to say.

Peter glanced at his watch. "It's Saturday the twenty-first of January, 2017, and the current time is ten fifty-five a.m. Leading Fireman Samuel Jones, on behalf of the SCIU and the Cardiff Police Force, I am here to inform you that our investigation into your accident has resulted in the following charges under the Road Traffic Act 1988. The first charge is that of dangerous driving under section two of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The second charge is exceeding a reasonable speed limit for an emergency vehicle while responding to a minor emergency under SP20 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. You are hereby formally summoned to attend a disciplinary hearing that will take place in a fortnight at the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service headquarters in Llantrisant."

Peter held out a sheet of paper to me, but I was too shocked to take it, so Penny took it for me. Chief Fire Officer Boyce slowly drew in a deep breath before he spoke.

"Leading Fireman Jones. I'm afraid that due to the nature of the charges against you, I have no other option but to suspend you on full pay until after the disciplinary hearing. As you know, I cannot preside over a disciplinary hearing for someone in my district, so that is why it's taking place in a different district. Do you understand everything that we've just said?"

I nodded again slowly, no trusting myself to speak. Penny handed the charge sheet to Mr Harrison, for him to look after on my behalf.

"I'll show you out," she muttered as she escorted everyone out of the room. Everyone that is, except for Mr Harrison. He came over to me.

"It'll be okay, Sam. I've seen some of their evidence, and it's very weak. They have no real proof that you were driving dangerously."

"What about the speeding?" I asked in a low whisper.

"Again, that's going to be difficult for them to prove, since you are legally allowed to speed when you're responding to an emergency."

"If they don't have any proof, why are we going through with this charade?"

"Because the SCIU will do everything they can to get a conclusive result from their investigation. If they've finished their investigation after only a week, they're either grasping at straws for answers or they must have found some solid proof that they're not sharing. Without that proof, there's no way the authorities wouldn't go through with the disciplinary hearing. Look, the best thing you can do is not stress about it. I'll be in contact with you again soon."

Mr Harrison headed to the front door, where I knew Penny would show him out. I sank down onto my sofa and I rested my head in my right hand as I tried to absorb what had just happened.

 _Suspended? Disciplinary hearing? Why is this happening to me? I'm sure I've done nothing wrong. If only I could remember what happened just before the crash... That's the key to everything. At least Boyce had the decency to leave me on full pay. I'd better save as much as I can of it, just in case…_ I shook my head, not daring to let myself consider the possibility of me losing my job. Unfortunately, once that thought process had started, I couldn't stop it. _I'm not trained in anything else! I do have my university degree, but that's not likely to help me get a new job. I wonder if Boyce would help me get a job as part of the admin team in Newtown. I never wanted a desk job, but at least it would be something._

I glanced up at my mantlepiece, and my eyes fell upon an old family portrait that had been taken when I was about ten years old. I stared sadly the images at my parents and my grandad. _I wish I could talk to all of you now… Especially you, taid-cu. You'd probably tell me about that ancient Celtic ritual for removing bad luck… Oh, my goodness! That's it! That's the only way I can stop this. If it works, it will get rid of all my nightmares and hopefully, all of my bad luck. I'd better do it quickly though, before anything else happens._

I hurried out of my sitting room, almost running into Penny in the hallway. "Sorry, Penny," I quickly apologised. "I'm just going for a walk."

"Not without me," Penny replied sternly.

I groaned inwardly. "I'll take Radar. At least I won't be alone then, will I?"

"No," Penny mused. "Okay. I'll be at the fire station if you need me. I have some paperwork I need to finish before I go on duty."

I waited until Penny had gone before I started preparing Radar for our walk. I put on his winter coat, and then I clipped his leash to his collar. Just before we left, I went into the kitchen to get a knife. I selected a small cutting knife with a plastic sleeve. Radar whined nervously when he saw me slip the knife into my pocket. I pulled on my thick winter coat and my sling, and then I picked up Radar's leash.

"Let's go, Radar. I'm sure a nice, long walk through up Pontypandy Mountain will do us a lot of good."

Radar hesitated, but then he decided that he'd better go with me.

…

Before long, Radar and I reached the start of the path that led to Pontypandy Mountain. Radar looked uncertain as we started to climb. About halfway up the mountain, he stopped and refused to go any further.

"Come on, Radar!" I urged as I tugged on his leash.

Radar growled and whined in response, but he refused to move another step. Since I could only use one hand to pull on his leash, I relaxed my grip slightly to give my arm a rest. Seizing his opportunity, Radar bolted. The leash slipped straight through my hand.

"Radar! Aros (stop)!" I shouted after him. Radar paused a short distance from me, looked back, whined, and then he kept running straight back down the mountain path. Realising that someone would soon see him and raise the alarm, I turned and continued running up the mountain. I needed to get to the summit and perform the ritual before anyone came to find me. To help me run faster, I removed my sling and tossed it aside.

…

Radar wasn't sure what his master was up to, but he sensed that it was something bad, and that's why he'd made his escape. It hadn't been easy for him to leave his master all on his own up on the mountain, especially when he was injured, but he knew he needed to get some other humans to help.

He also knew that the lady who lived in the cottage on the outskirts of town was nice and helpful, especially to his master, so that's where he stopped. He barked and scratched on the front door until the lady opened it.

"Radar? What are you doing here?"

Radar barked again, and he looked towards the mountain. The lady frowned with concern.

"Has something happened?"

Radar whined. The lady took out one of those strange devices that the humans used to talk to each other. He whimpered impatiently. He knew they didn't have time for that. Anything could happen to his master while she was talking. He gently took hold of her pant leg in his teeth, and he tried to drag her outside.

"Stop that, Radar. Hello, Station Officer Steele? It's Helen. Radar's just shown up at my place. He has his coat and leash on, so I'm assuming that Sam must've taken him for a walk and something's happened to him."

…

At the fire station, Penny was just signing on for duty in the Control Room, when Helen phoned Station Officer Steele. She couldn't help overhearing what was said.

"…Okay, Helen. Thanks for alerting us. We'll take care of it." And Station Officer Steele hung up his phone. "Penny, you were with Sam earlier today, weren't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Chief Fire Officer Boyce told me that Sam has been suspended from duty until his disciplinary hearing."

"I was there when he was told. He took Radar for a walk straight afterwards."

"Do you know where he was going?"

Penny frowned. "I forgot to ask."

"Then, we'd better start our search via helicopter. Sam knows the woods and trails around here better than anyone else, and if he wants to hide, we don't stand much chance of finding him."

"What do you mean?"

"Sam grew up exploring everything between here and Newtown. He knows all the caves and crevices even better than I do. In fact the only one who knows them as well as he does is Charlie."

Penny took out her mobile phone. "Then we'd better ask Charlie to help. And, we'll pick up Radar too. I'll go with Charlie and Radar up the mountain trail, and everyone else can join Tom in Wallaby Two."

"We'd better ask Helen to join us, just in case Sam needs medical attention," Station Officer Steele added.

Minutes later, the alarms sounded. Penny left first in Venus to go and collect Charlie and Radar. Ellie and Elvis followed in Jupiter. They would pick up Helen on their way to the railway station, where Tom would meet them with Wallaby Two.

…

I was panting heavily by the time I reached the summit of Pontypandy Mountain. The gathering grey clouds threatened to start dropping more snow at any moment, so I knew I needed to hurry. I breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw what I'd come for. The ancient Celtic sacrificial stone was still in place right at the top of the summit. I respectfully brushed the snow off it, until I could see the intricate Celtic art that had been carved into the stone over two thousand years earlier. It was the carving that indicated what the stone had originally been used for. It was a blood sacrificial stone, not one for offerings of gold and other valuable jewels. The stone's location was perfect for blood sacrifices, being as close as possible to the heavens and right on the edge of the precipice overlooking Pontypandy. I stood as close to the edge as I dared. A chilly, winter ocean breeze whipped around me, surrounding me in a swirl of fine snowflakes. It was time for me to perform the ritual.

…

Meanwhile, Penny, Charlie and Radar were racing up the mountain path. They travelled quickly, because Radar was able to lead the way, showing them exactly where Sam had gone.

"Let's hope we find Sam safe and well," Penny said between breaths.

"Yes," Charlie agreed. "I wish I'd been there this morning when he was told about his suspension. I could've helped."

"How?"

"I looked after Sam after our parents died. I know how to handle him when he gets depressed."

Radar barked from further up the path. Penny and Charlie picked up their pace until they reached Radar. He was nudging a piece of white cloth with his nose. Charlie picked it up.

"That's Sam's sling!"

"We'd better hurry," Penny urged. They began sprinting up the path following Radar.

…

I slowly drew the knife out of my pocket, and I removed the plastic sleeve. It was time for the ritual to begin. But, before I could start, I heard the familiar whirl of Wallaby Two's rotors rapidly approaching.

"Sam!"

Hearing Penny's voice behind me, I froze. Radar barked, but I barely heard him because at that moment, Wallaby Two flew in overhead and started hovering almost directly above me.

"Sam?" Penny called again as she and Charlie cautiously approached me. She tried to keep her voice calm, but I could hear a slight quaver in it due to her nerves. "Sam, please put down the knife."

I slowly turned around to face her and Charlie. They stopped about ten metres away from me.

"Tom, you'd better land," Penny said quietly into her radio. "The noise of Wallaby Two could scare him into jumping or stabbing himself.

I breathed a small sigh of relief as Tom flew Wallaby Two over to a safe landing place outside the Mountain Activity Centre.

Penny held out her hand. "Sam? Please, give me the knife."

I glanced down at the knife that I was still clutching in my right hand. I had to act quickly to complete the ritual before they stopped me. If I didn't do it now, I might never get another chance.

"Aros nôl (stay back)!" I ordered.

Penny and Charlie exchanged glances of uncertainty. Clearly, they weren't quite sure what to do next. I seized on their moment of hesitation to do what I needed to do. I spun back around so that I was facing the edge of the cliff, and I raised the knife above my head.

"Arawn!" I shouted, calling to the ancient Welsh god of the Otherworld. "Cymra fe! Cymerwch fy lwc ddrwg oddi wrthyf i! Os gweli di'n dda... (Take it! Take my bad luck from me! Please...)" My voice trailed off at the end, just as I brought the knife down, slashing the sharp blade across the tips of the fingers of my left hand. The cuts weren't deep, but they were enough to draw blood from all four of my fingers. Before the pain could set in, I dropped the knife and I smeared the blood across the top of the sacrificial stone.

At that moment, the clouds parted, and a ray of sunlight fell upon me. The sudden brightness dazed me, and then I felt as though a great weight had fallen on me, causing me to faint and collapse onto a pile of soft snow.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 16

"SAM!" Penny screamed when she saw him collapse onto the snowdrift. She sprinted over to him, followed closely by Charlie and Radar. Charlie held Radar back, while Penny felt Sam's neck for his pulse. It was there, but it was surprisingly weak. Penny quickly got on her radio. "Helen, we need you up here with your first-aid kit, urgently! And tell Elvis and Ellie to bring a stretcher," she instructed.

If anyone had looked skywards at that moment, they would have seen a black owl with glowing red eyes descending through the gap in the clouds. It flew over the summit of Pontypandy Mountain before it disappeared into the nearby forest.

Penny gave Sam a gentle shake to try and bring him back to consciousness, but he didn't respond. Helen arrived at the scene first, followed by Ellie and Elvis, who carried a stretcher between them.

"What's the situation?" Helen asked Penny as she knelt in the snow beside Sam.

"He cut his fingers with that knife," Penny explained. "Deliberately. I'm not sure what he was doing, but it was very strange. I can barely find his pulse now."

Helen also felt Sam's neck for his pulse. "You're right. His pulse is weak and slow. He's also breathing very shallowly. Let's get a tourniquet around his arm to stop the bleeding."

"His cast is in the way," Ellie pointed out.

"Put it around his upper arm then," Helen instructed. She scooped up a handful of snow and placed it over Sam's fingers to try and stop the bleeding by freezing it. She could see that the cuts in Sam's fingers weren't deep, but they were bad enough to warrant more than just sticking plaster. In fact, she was sure he'd need some micro stitches in at least two of the cuts. Helen decided to wrap a bandage around Sam's fingers to help control the bleeding.

Once Ellie had finished securing the tourniquet around Sam's upper arm and Helen had finished bandaging his hand, Charlie and Elvis gently lifted Sam onto the stretcher. Ellie and Penny covered him with a blanket, tucking it neatly under his arms, before they secured straps around him.

"He feels so cold," Ellie commented as she grasped Sam's right hand in her own.

"It's probably just from shock," Penny explained.

"I'll phone Doctor Fisher to let him know that we're bringing Sam back to the hospital," Helen told the group as they started to make their way down to where Wallaby Two was.

"You'd think he'd want to stay out of hospital after being there for five days already," Ellie remarked. "He only just got out!"

"Whatever he was doing, I don't think he'd planned to pass out," Penny said.

"Do you think he was trying to commit suicide?" Elvis asked Penny apprehensively.

"No, Elvis. I don't."

"What do you think he was trying to do then?" Ellie wondered.

"I think I know," Charlie said. But before he could tell them, they arrived at Wallaby Two. While Charlie and Elvis loaded Sam into Wallaby Two's passenger bay, Ellie took Radar over to the Mountain Activity Centre to leave him with Moose. Meanwhile, Helen phoned Doctor Fisher. He answered after the second ring.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hello, Doctor Fisher. It's Nurse Flood here. I'm afraid Sam's gone and injured himself again, so we're airlifting him to Newtown Hospital now. We'll be there in less than fifteen minutes."

" _I see. What are his injuries this time?_ "

"He's sliced all four of his fingers on his left hand with a knife. They're not bleeding heavily, but I suspect they'll need stitches. We're trying to control the bleeding now. He's also unconscious with a weak pulse, and shallow breathing."

" _Right. I'll prepare my team for your arrival. How's his arm?_ "

"I don't think he's re-injured that."

" _I'll take some more x-rays anyway, just to be sure. Is there anything else?_ "

"Not at this stage. We're just loading him into the helicopter now."

" _Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes._ "

"Thanks. Bye." And Helen hung up her phone.

Once everyone was safely aboard Wallaby Two, Elvis closed the door and Tom took off. Sam's stretcher was secured to the floor, to prevent it from sliding around. Helen knelt beside Sam again, and she felt his neck for his pulse.

"It's a bit stronger now. His breathing is still shallow though."

"Should we give him some oxygen?" Penny wondered.

"Why not? It won't hurt him."

While Penny prepared the oxygen, Charlie joined Helen on the floor beside Sam. He tenderly brushed Sam's hair off his forehead.

"I know you're worried, Charlie," Helen said. "But he'll be okay. He probably just fainted from shock."

"Yeah. That's quite normal for him," Charlie agreed.

"I know."

"Okay, here's the oxygen," Penny interrupted. She handed a face mask to Helen, who gently secured it over Sam's face. To everyone's relief, Sam's breathing rate gradually returned to normal.

"Okay, he's stabilised now," Helen determined. "Hopefully, it won't be long before he wakes up."

" _We're almost at Newtown,_ " Tom announced over the radio. " _Landing in a few minutes._ "

Tom skilfully landed Wallaby Two on the helipad on the roof of Newtown Hospital. Dr Fisher and his team hurried over when Ellie opened Wallaby Two's passenger bay door. Elvis and Charlie carefully lifted Sam's stretcher out of Wallaby Two, and they placed it on top of one of the hospital's wheeled stretchers. Penny placed the oxygen cylinder on a rack above Sam's head.

Helen went over to Dr Fisher. "We need to stop meeting like this," she quipped.

"I agree. How is he now?"

"Stable. He's breathing normally with the aid of the oxygen. We used a tourniquet and a bandage to slow the bleeding from his fingers."

"Right, let's get him inside out of this wind."

Charlie and Helen followed Dr Fisher and the emergency medical technicians, leaving Penny, Elvis and Ellie alone on the helipad with Tom. Penny turned to face her colleagues.

"Look, I know we're all concerned about Sam, but he's in good hands and we're still on duty. We need to get back to Pontypandy before this snowstorm hits. We might be needed if things turn bad."

Elvis and Ellie reluctantly followed Penny back inside Wallaby Two. A few minutes later, Wallaby Two took off into the air heading back towards Pontypandy.

…

About an hour later, Charlie and Helen watched on as the emergency medical technicians moved Sam into a private hospital room. It was different to the one he'd been staying in only a few days earlier, but the layout was similar. Sam was still unconscious, so Dr Fisher had decided to keep him in hospital overnight for observation.

While Charlie and Helen waited for Dr Fisher to return with Sam's test results, they gathered around Sam's bed to watch him. Sam was still on oxygen, because they'd found that his breathing had become shallow again without it. Dr Fisher had removed Sam's cast to enable better access to Sam's injured hand and his wrist. In its place, there was now a removable padded neoprene support cast that encased Sam's entire forearm. Dr Fisher had taken the opportunity to clean Sam's forearm and examine the stitches from his surgery. They'd just started to dissolve, which Dr Fisher was very satisfied with.

Dr Fisher had also put micro stitches into two of the cuts in Sam's fingers. The bleeding had indeed stopped by then, but Dr Fisher was concerned that the wounds could start bleeding again at the slightest touch.

"He's lucky he hasn't lost a lot of blood," Dr Fisher had told Helen and Charlie while he'd stitched up Sam's fingers.

Charlie sighed heavily as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. "I wish he'd wake up."

"I'm sure he will soon," Helen said, trying to reassure him. "Hopefully he won't have a panic attack this time. Dr Fisher's put him back on morphine, so at least he's not in any pain. What I can't understand is why he cut himself in the first place."

Dr Fisher entered the room as Helen was still speaking. "I've been wondering that myself, Nurse Flood, and I think I know the answer. I'm taking him off the Xanax as of now. Clearly, it's made things worse instead of better."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Charlie asked.

"One of the rarer side effects of Xanax is hallucinations. From what you've told me, that must be the reason why he cut himself. Xanax can also cause suicidal tendencies, so it's safest for him not to have it anymore. He's obviously sensitive to it."

There was silence for a moment, but then Dr Fisher noticed something on the EEG machine that was monitoring Sam's brainwaves. "That's strange," he muttered.

"What is it?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"According to Sam's brainwaves, he should be awake."

Everyone looked down at Sam. Charlie gave Sam a sharp pinch on his right shoulder, just in case Sam was only pretending to be unconscious, but Sam didn't even flinch.

"He's definitely not with us," Helen said despondently.

Dr Fisher nodded. "In all my years as a doctor, I've never seen anything like this!"

"Perhaps the machine's broken?" Charlie suggested.

"It's not," Dr Fisher replied defensively. "There's something bizarre going on here though. I know for a fact that Sam's brainwaves weren't like this when he was unconscious after his accident last week. They were perfectly normal for someone who's unconscious."

Charlie drew in a sharp breath, but then he shook his head. "No. That's impossible."

"What is?" Helen asked. "Wait, you said you think you might know why he cut himself, but you never got around to telling us."

"Yes, but it's so weird and highly unlikely."

"So is having fully functioning brain activity when you're in a natural coma," Dr Fisher pointed out.

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, I'll tell you what I think has happened. When we were up on Pontypandy Mountain, Sam said some things in Welsh. My Welsh isn't all that great, but I did manage to pick out one word of significance – Arawn. Sam's very knowledgeable about the ancient Celtic culture in Wales. You could say that it's his hobby. Anyway, I do know that Arawn was the Welsh Celtic god of the Otherworld."

"Why would Sam say that though?" Helen wondered.

Charlie shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it sounded like Sam was trying to make an appeal to him, or something. I'll phone Penny and ask her what she thinks Sam said. She's almost as fluent in Welsh as Sam is."

Charlie dialled Penny on his mobile phone. She answered after four rings.

" _Hello, Charlie? Any news on Sam?_ "

"He's stable, but still unconscious," Charlie replied. "I've got you on loudspeaker because I need to ask you a question. Can you remember what Sam said up on the summit before he cut himself? I couldn't understand him with my limited comprehension of Welsh. He always talks too fast."

" _Yeah, he said something like, 'Arawn, take this bad luck from me'. I don't know why he'd appeal to Arawn, but I suppose there are worse Celtic gods he could've appealed to._ "

"Thanks Penny. You've been a big help."

" _No worries. Bye._ "

Charlie hung up his phone. "So, Sam was appealing to Arawn. And, he smeared his blood on the stone up on the summit. I think he was performing an ancient Celtic ritual."

"But why would he do that?" Helen wondered. "Sam's always been the sensible one during times of crisis, so why is he behaving so abnormally?"

"Perhaps it was a combination of the medication and the stress he's going through right now," Dr Fisher suggested.

"That makes more sense," Charlie agreed. "He was stood down from his job earlier this morning, pending a disciplinary hearing. Penny told me that it really upset him."

"But why would he be unconscious for so long?" Helen asked.

"That's what I'm wondering," Dr Fisher added.

"I know it sounds stupid, but maybe he angered Arawn and so Arawn struck him down to punish him," Charlie suggested. Then he shrugged again. "Now I sound just like grandad did. He taught Sam everything he knew about the ancient Celts. That's why Sam believes in it. I think, realistically, you're right Doctor Fisher. The Xanax must have altered his thinking, so he ended up doing something he wouldn't even dream of doing under normal circumstances."

Everyone looked down at Sam again. Dr Fisher sighed heavily.

"Well, I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do until he wakes up. Hopefully, it won't be long before he does. Oh, before I forget, Sam's x-rays show that the bones in his arm are starting to fuse back together again, so that's some good news at least. I'll leave you two alone for now." And with that, Dr Fisher left the room.

Charlie and Helen remained with Sam until visiting hours ended. Bronwyn drove to Newtown to collect them and take them home.

…

Later that evening, Nurse Jenkins entered Sam's room to check up on him and to change his I.V. bag. Sam still hadn't regained consciousness, so Nurse Jenkins went about her work diligently. However, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. The lights were on in the room, so she could see that there was nothing hiding in the shadows. She even peeked under the bed just to be sure, but she still felt as though someone, or something, was watching her.

Having performed all of her tasks, and recorded everything she needed to onto Sam's chart, Nurse Jenkins was about to leave the room, when a flash of red caught her eye. Gazing over at the window, Nurse Jenkins' eyes opened as wide as they possibly could. Then, she let out a blood-curling scream.

Staring straight back at her through the window were two luminescent red eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 17

Hearing Nurse Jenkins scream, a male nurse who happened to be passing in the hallway, burst into the room.

"What is it? What's happened?"

Shaking, Nurse Jenkins pointed to the window. "I… I s-saw a pair of glowing red eyes! T-they were s-staring s-straight at me!"

The nurse went over to the window, and he looked out of it. "Well, there's nothing there now. Are you sure you didn't just see a car's tail-lights? This window does face the main road."

"I know what I saw," Nurse Jenkins replied. "It was definitely a pair of eyes."

"Okay, I think you should go and have a rest in the nurses' lounge. I can take over your duties."

Nurse Jenkins nodded slowly. "Maybe I am a bit tired. I've finished in here."

The nurse nodded. "I'll just make sure. Off you go now."

Nurse Jenkins reluctantly left the room. The male nurse double-checked all of Sam's vitals and ensured that he was comfortable. He was a bit surprised by the EEG reading, but since it had been noted in Sam's chart, he decided not to add any comments. Once he was sure that Sam was stable, the nurse turned out the light and he quietly closed the door behind him.

…

Early the following morning, Charlie drove from Pontypandy to Cardiff Airport, to collect Rachel. Before leaving, he'd phoned Newtown Hospital to find out of there had been any change in Sam's condition overnight. He was disappointed to learn that Sam was still unconscious.

 _At least the kids are back at school now,_ Charlie thought as he merged into the traffic on the M4. _There are just some things they don't need to know. I hope we can all get along with Rachel._

Twenty minutes later, Charlie arrived at the airport. After he'd parked the car, he went inside to find Rachel. While he was checking the screens to see if Rachel's flight had landed, an announcement came over the loudspeakers.

"Mae gan British Airways hedfan BA114 o Lundain, Lloegr, tua phymtheg munud, oherwydd y tywydd ar hyn o bryd yn Llundain. Ymddiheurwn am unrhyw anghyfleustra. British Airways flight BA114 from London, England, has been delayed by approximately fifteen minutes, due to current weather conditions in London. We apologise for any inconvenience."

Charlie frowned thoughtfully. _Sam wouldn't have even bothered to wait for the English translation. I really envy his Welsh fluency. Oh well. Perhaps I should go and wait near the gate for the flight to land._

Once Charlie had made it through security, he went over to gate two. He arrived just in time to see Rachel's plane land safely.

 _I'm glad we've emailed photos of ourselves, so hopefully we'll be able to recognise each other._

But he needn't have worried. Rachel recognised him as soon as she emerged from the tunnel.

"Hello, Charlie! I'm so glad to finally meet you!"

"Likewise. Do you have much luggage?"

"Just one small suitcase, since I'm only here for the weekend." Rachel flicked her shoulder-length brunette hair over her shoulder. She and Charlie then started walking towards the exit. "We had to wait for the snow to ease in London before we could take off."

"At least you're here safely. Is this your first time to Wales?"

"It is, actually. I've never had a need to travel here before. I usually travel to Paris and Italy."

The conversation paused as another announcement for a different flight came over the loudspeakers.

"Can you speak Welsh?" Rachel asked once the announcement had finished.

"A bit, but not enough to carry on a decent conversation. Sam's fluent though."

"I see. I'm surprised Sam isn't here too."

Charlie frowned again. "He doesn't know that you're coming. And, I'm sorry to say, but he had a bit of an incident yesterday, and he's back in hospital now."

"Oh, no! What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. I was going to tell him about you before it happened."

"I see."

They'd arrived at the baggage collection by then. The conveyer belt was already circulating the passengers' luggage. Rachel found her suitcase, and Charlie took care of it for her.

"Would you like to stop somewhere for a cup of tea before we go to Pontypandy?" Charlie offered.

"No thanks. I had one on the plane. Let's just get going. I can't wait to meet everyone!"

…

About an hour later, Charlie drove into Pontypandy. Rachel stared out of the windows, taking everything in.

"I was actually expecting Pontypandy to be a village, not a town," she said as they reached the quay.

"It's grown quite a bit over the years," Charlie explained. "It was a lot smaller when Sam and I were kids."

"I wish I could have known you then."

"Me too." Charlie parked his car outside the Wholefish Café. "Come inside, and I'll introduce you to my wife. The kids are currently at school."

As they got out of the car, Rachel shivered, and she pulled her faux-fur coat tighter around herself. "That sea breeze is freezing! It feels colder here than it did in London."

"That's because it is. Come along. We've got the heater on inside."

Charlie escorted Rachel inside the Wholefish Café. Bronwyn was wiping down the counter, but she paused when they entered.

"Hello. You must be Rachel. I'm Bronwyn."

"How do you do, Bronwyn? It's such a pleasure to meet you at last!"

"Likewise."

"Here, let me take you coat for you," Charlie offered. He helped Rachel take it off, and he hung it up on the coatrack near the door. Then, he looked at Bronwyn. "Any news?"

Bronwyn shook her head sadly. "I phoned about fifteen minutes ago. There's been no change in his condition."

…

By evening, Sam still hadn't regained consciousness. Dr Fisher was growing increasingly concerned.

"He can't stay like this forever," he said to Nurse Jenkins, who had reported for night duty after spending most of the day recovering from her fright the night before. She was busy checking Sam's vitals. "He's either going to have to wake up soon, or he's going to give up."

"Give up? But, doctor, surely, he must be fully aware of what's going on. He just can't respond for some reason."

Dr Fisher sighed heavily with frustration. "If there's no change overnight, I'll talk to his family about bringing in an expert neurologist from London. I've spoken to all of our neurologists here, and they don't have any answers. Perhaps, an expert might be able to figure out what's going on. I'm not afraid to admit that this case is beyond me. How are his wounds healing?"

"That's another strange thing," Nurse Jenkins replied. "When I changed the bandage around his hand, it looked like the cuts hadn't even started to heal. I took a photo for you to see." And she showed him the picture on her mobile phone.

Dr Fisher's frown increased. "This is so bizarre! I hope he does wake up shortly, because this situation is starting to frighten me."

…

Shortly after midnight, everything inside the Newtown Hospital was quiet. There were no emergencies to deal with, and most of the staff were taking breaks while their patients slept.

Outside Sam's room, a black owl with glowing red eyes swooped down, landing neatly on the windowsill. It was the same black owl that had appeared shortly after Sam had cut himself. It peeked through a gap in the drawn curtains, to ensure that Sam was alone. When it was sure the coast was clear, the owl transformed itself into a will o' the wisp. The wisp passed neatly through a glass window pane. Once it was safely inside the hospital room, the wisp transformed itself into a luminescent hag. She looked pityingly at Sam for a few seconds before she crept silently over to the bed.

The hag stared lovingly down at Sam for a moment. She placed her left hand over Sam's own, taking care to ensure she touched each of his wounded fingers, and she placed her right hand on his forehead. Then, she leaned over him, bringing her lips close to his left-hand ear.

"Rydych chi am ddim," she whispered soothingly.

A small sigh escaped through Sam's lips, but it was barely noticeable because of the oxygen mask. The hag noticed it, and she smiled. She tenderly stroked Sam's cheek, causing him to moan and stir in his sleep.

At that moment, the door flew open and Nurse Jenkins entered the room. Before she knew what was happening, the hag cast out a beam of brilliant white light that struck the unfortunate woman directly between her eyes. She started to fall to the floor in a dead faint, but the hag was kind enough to catch her as she collapsed.

After the hag had gently laid Nurse Jenkins down on the floor, it transformed back into a wisp before it vanished back through the window and disappeared.

…

It was about five a.m. before Nurse Jenkins was discovered. Dr Fisher found her. He'd just arrived for work, and he'd wanted to see if Sam had woken up during the night. What he found was Nurse Jenkins lying on the floor on her side. He immediately knelt beside her to check her pulse.

"I need some help in here!" Dr Fisher shouted.

Two other nurses hurried into the room. They both gasped when they saw Nurse Jenkins.

"Well, don't just stand there! Go and get a stretcher so we can move her."

The nurses hurried away.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr Fisher was carefully examining the security cameras to see if he could work out what had happened to Nurse Jenkins during the night. Since the room didn't have any cameras inside it for privacy reasons, he had to rely on the hallway cameras.

"Have you found anything?" Dr Andrews, one of the hospital's neurosurgeons asked as he sat down at the desk beside Dr Fisher.

"I have, actually. Look at this. At exactly seven past twelve and fifteen seconds, Nurse Jenkins entered the Sam's hospital room. Less than a second later, this brilliant glow of light can be seen, and then Nurse Jenkins collapses. You can just see her falling."

"That's strange, because she doesn't have any head injuries. She's awake now, but she can't remember anything about how or why she fainted. Let me see that light again."

Dr Fisher replayed the footage. Puzzled, Dr Andrews shook his head.

"I have no idea what that could be, but it's most likely the cause of her faint. Luckily, her eyesight doesn't appear to have been damaged. How's Sam?"

"He's still unconscious. I'm not sure what to do about him."

"Would you like me to do an MRI scan on him? That might be able to tell us what's going on inside his brain."

Dr Fisher hesitated. "We could, although I'm sot sure it would reveal anything. Especially if, as I'm starting to suspect, there might be supernatural forces involved here,"

"Suit yourself. Just let me know if you change your mind." And with that, Dr Andrews got up, and he walked away.

…

The first thing I became aware of was just how warm and snug I felt. Thinking that I was in my own bed at home, I started to roll over onto my right-hand side. It was then that I noticed that I had something covering my face. Moaning with annoyance, I reached up to try and remove it, but my left arm felt stiff and awkward. Panic immediately set in, and before I could gather my wits together enough to control it, I slammed my left arm down against something hard. I almost screamed as a terrific bolt of pain shot from my arm straight to my brain.

My eyes flew open in response to the agonising pain. Looking around, I realised that my arm had hit a metal railing attached to the side of my bed. I also realised that I wasn't at home in my own bed. I was back in hospital.

Whimpering, I cradled my throbbing arm across my chest. _Where is everyone? What's going on? Why am I back here again?_

I drew in several deep breaths to try and calm myself down. When I'd managed to settle down, I cautiously sat up, cradling my arm. Looking down, I saw that the red fibreglass cast had been replaced with a black neoprene cast. My entire left hand had also been entirely wrapped in a bandage.

 _Oh, that's right. I cut my fingers. I don't remember why though. I was on the summit of Pontypandy Mountain…at the Celtic sacrificial stone…_ I hung my head in shame. _What was I thinking?_

Heading footsteps enter the room, I looked up. It was Dr Fisher. He smiled warmly when he saw me.

"So you've decided to wake up at last? It's about time…"

I glanced down at my hand again. "I'm feeling pretty stupid. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"I've been wondering the same thing." Dr Fisher came over to my bed, and he picked up my chart. "Now, I want an honest answer from you. How are you feeling, besides feeling stupid?"

I chuckled slightly. "Actually, I'm not feeling all that bad. Aside from my aching arm…"

Dr Fisher frowned. "What happened?"

"I accidentally smashed it on the railing. Right where I broke it too…"

Dr Fisher shook his head in disbelief. "I'd better arrange another x-ray for you then, just to be on the safe side. And I'll give you some mild pain relief."

"Thank you."

Dr Fisher opened a drawer and I saw him take out a box of pills. He popped two onto a plate, which he handed to me.

"It's just paracetamol. I don't want to give you anything stronger just yet."

I put the pills inside my mouth. Dr Fisher handed me a glass of water, which I used to swallow the pills.

"I may as well change the dressing on you hand," Dr Fisher decided. "It hasn't been done today."

"Funny, my fingers don't feel sore."

"They should. The wounds hadn't even started to heal when we last looked at them."

Dr Fisher set my chart down on the bench. He took out a fresh bandage and gauze wadding before he started unwrapping the bandage around my hand.

"How long have I been out of it?"

"Today's the third day," Dr Fisher replied. "Everyone's been very worried about you."

"I'm sure they have been."

Dr Fisher finished removing the bandage. He gasped in surprise. "I…I…I don't believe it!"

I looked at my fingers and my eyes widened in disbelief. My fingers were completely healed. There wasn't even a scar.

"Well, whatever's been happening to me over the past three days, it must've been bordering on the supernatural!" I exclaimed.

"It's funny you should say that," Dr Fisher muttered as he tossed the used bandage onto the bench. He gave me a perplexed look. "You've been in a state of semi-consciousness for the past three days, haven't you?"

I shook my head. "If I was, I don't remember anything."

"Well, it'd explain your EEG readings. Speaking of which, I'd better remove those sensors."

Dr Fisher turned off the EEG machine. He then reached over and gently peeled the sensors off my forehead.

"When can I go home?"

"Tomorrow at the earliest. I want to keep you in here for one more day for observation, and so we can conduct some tests."

"I understand. Can I have something to eat, please?"

"Of course. I'll go and arrange something for you now."

"Thanks. And, could I have my mobile, please? I want to ring Charlie."

Dr Fisher handed it over to me. After he'd gone, I dialled Charlie's number. He answered after the second ring.

" _Sam? Is that really you?_ "

I chuckled. "Yes, Charlie. It's me. I've just woken up, and Doctor Fisher has informed me of everything that's happened. Can you come and see me today, please?"

" _Of course, I can! And, I have a surprise for you too._ "

"What is it?"

" _You'll have to wait and see. I'll bring it with me. See you soon!_ " And Charlie hung up the phone.

"Bye, Charlie," I muttered. Sighing, I lay back down on the pillows and I closed my eyes contently. _I have a feeling that everything's going to be okay from now on._


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs and original story ideas belong to me.**

Chapter 18

I spent the rest of the morning undergoing various tests and scans. After lunch, I felt rather exhausted, so I settled down to sleep. I fell asleep quickly, and so the next thing I was aware of was someone gently touching my right shoulder. I moaned with annoyance.

"Is he usually a sound sleeper?" I heard an unknown female voice ask.

"No," Charlie replied. "Normally, he's a very light sleeper. Come on, Sam. It's time for you to wake up."

I reluctantly opened my eyes to see Charlie leaning over me. He smiled warmly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I think. Just tired."

"That's understandable. You've been through a lot lately."

"Are you referring to my accident, or what the doctors and nurses did to me this morning?" I asked with a hint of mischievousness.

Charlie laughed. "That sounds more like the Sam we know and love!"

A movement at the foot of my hospital bed caught my attention. I looked up to see a Caucasian woman with shoulder-length brunette hair standing there. She was staring straight back at me. I looked at Charlie and raised an eyebrow, waiting for his explanation.

Charlie gently squeezed my right hand. "Sam, this is the surprise I told you about. This is our cousin, Rachel Clarke. Rachel, this is my younger brother, Sam."

Rachel and I continued to stare at each other. I was trying to process the fact that this woman was my cousin.

 _My cousin? I thought Charlie was the only family I had left? How could she be my cousin, unless…_ "Who are your parents?"

"Rodney and Susan Clarke," Rachel replied. "Our mothers were sisters."

I closed my eyes. _My mother's side of the family, from England._

"Sam?" Charlie called. He was waiting for me to respond.

I opened my eyes again and I glowered at Rachel. "Get out!"

Rachel's cheeks reddened slightly, and she glanced at Charlie. Charlie stared at me, too stunned to speak.

"You heard me!" I snapped. "Get out! I don't ever want to see you again!"

"Sam!" Charlie finally exclaimed. "She's our cousin! She's come all the way from London just to meet us."

I finally realised what had happened. "You tried to contact Aunt Susan, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" Charlie retorted. "It's not our fault that our family has been split apart for over thirty years."

"No, it's her mother's fault!" I nodded in Rachel's direction. "You know as well as I do that Aunt Susan did everything she could to stop mum from marrying dad."

"We only know what grandad told us."

"From what I was told, it was our grandmother who didn't want your parents to marry," Rachel said. "My mother only agreed with her."

"Of course, you would defend your mother!" I snapped. "And, if it wasn't for her, our parents would still be alive!"

"Perhaps," Rachel conceded. "But she didn't cause that traffic accident that killed them."

"No, but if she hadn't ordered our parents to visit her in London, they wouldn't have been involved in that accident at all, and we'd still have them with us!" I knew I was starting to sound hysterical, but I couldn't stop myself once I'd started. Even though it had been thirty years since my parents had died, I remembered every detail as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

"Your parents weren't ordered to visit my side of the family in London," Rachel retorted. "They were invited to attend our grandmother's eightieth birthday. I was very young at the time, but I remember one of my uncles saying that it had been your parents' decision to attend. They didn't have to go."

"Why should I believe you?" I hissed angrily.

A nurse poked her head into the room. "What's with all the shouting going on in here?"

"It's all right, nurse," Charlie replied. "Sam's just upset."

I was hyperventilating and trembling from rage by that point. Worried, the nurse left the room. I guessed that she was going to talk to Dr Fisher.

"I think we'd better go now, Charlie," Rachel said quietly. She moved around my bed, and I watched her as she placed an old, crumpled and yellowed envelope down on my bedside table. Then, without saying another word, she left the room. Charlie looked at me sadly before he followed her.

After a few seconds, I managed to calm myself enough to enable me to push myself up into a sitting position. I reached across to the bedside table, and I picked up the envelope. It wasn't flat, and I could feel something hard inside. Witten on the envelope was the address of the second house I'd grown up in, in Pontypandy. However, the address had been crossed out, and it had 'Return to sender' written above the address in what I recognised as my mother's handwriting. Upon opening the envelope, I discovered that the hard object was a Welsh love-spoon. It had the letters S and M intertwined. _Susan and Mary,_ I reasoned.

With curiosity getting the better of me, I took the yellowed letter out of its envelope, and I unfolded it. The letter was dated just over a month before my parents' untimely death.

 _My dearest sister,_

 _Since you have been avoiding my phone calls, I've decided to write to you instead. I know you're still angry with me for trying to separate you and David, but I've now come to realise that what I did was wrong. You were always mother's favourite, so I thought that by trying to please her, I would gain her favour instead. That was wrong and very selfish of me. You and David have always been perfect for each other, despite the vast differences in your backgrounds. I just want you to come to London, please, so I can apologise to you in person. I would come to you if I could, but I feel that it would be impertinent of me to do so without an invitation._

 _I hope your sons and grandchildren are well. I'd love to meet them all one day, but one thing at a time, I suppose._

 _I await your response, praying that it is favourable._

 _With love, your sister,_

 _Susan._

Stunned, I carefully folded up the letter. I was already trying to process Rachel's revelation that my parents had travelled to London to visit Aunt Susan and my other English relatives for my grandmother's eightieth birthday, by my aunt's invitation. Now, on top of that, I'd just learned that Aunt Susan had been desperately trying to reach out to my mother to heal the family rift. I immediately felt guilty for how I'd spoken to Rachel. She'd been trying to reach out to us to finish what her mother had started, but I'd only made things worse.

Putting the envelope and love-spoon aside, I sat upright, taking care not to put any weight on my left arm. My hospital bed had the sides raised to ensure I didn't fall off it, and so I tried to lower the left-hand side one. Unfortunately, I needed two hands to do that, so I quickly gave up. I looked towards the window, realising that Charlie and Rachel had probably reached the carpark by now.

"Rachel?" I called, hoping that she might still be just outside my room. When she didn't return, I clutched the letter in my right hand, and I let my tears fall.

That is how Dr Fisher found me when he arrived a few minutes later. He sighed sympathetically before he gently placed an arm around my shoulders.

"Do you want to talk to me about it, Sam?"

I shook my head. Dr Fisher gently prised the letter out of my hand, and he placed it and the love-spoon back on the bedside table. Then, he helped me lie down again.

"Would you like anything to help you sleep?"

I shook my head again. Dr Fisher pulled my sheet up around me, and he checked my I.V. line.

"I want you to sleep now. If you're still awake when I come back in half an hour, I'll give you something to help you sleep."

I nodded in understanding, and I closed my eyes. There was nothing I could do now about the situation with Rachel. It would have to wait until I was well enough to deal with the emotional pain. I knew that I really wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with that now.

…

Rachel sighed despondently as Charlie drove along the Newtown Road towards Pontypandy. He cast a sad glance at her.

"I'm sorry about Sam. I didn't think he'd welcome you with open arms, but I hoped he'd at least be nicer than he was."

"It's okay. You tried to warn me about that. Does he usually hold a grudge?"

"No. He tries to get justice, but I've never known him to hold a grudge against anyone."

"He seems to hold a grudge against my mother."

"Sam doesn't know all the details. He was in so much shock after our parents died that I decided to only tell him what I felt he could handle at the time. It's such a sensitive subject for him, even now, after thirty years."

"Why?"

"I don't know how much you know about our parents' death, but how would you feel if you saw your parents burn alive in front of you, knowing that under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have been there?"

Rachel remained silent for a moment. "Was Sam one of the first responders?"

"Yes. He tried to free them, but there was nothing he could do. He went into shock once he realised that they were dead. Bronwyn and I tried to help him, but he completely fell to pieces in the months afterwards. We believe his transfer back home to Pontypandy saved him."

"I see. Did he ever…? You know…"

"Attempt suicide?"

"Yes."

"Once. He tried to crash his car in the same area where our parents died. Luckily, he was pulled over by the police, and they took care of him. As I said, he doesn't like to talk about it."

Rachel didn't say anything more. The car was silent for a few minutes, then Charlie spoke again.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?"

"Nine o'clock."

"We'd better leave here around seven then, so you'll have plenty of time to check in."

"Yes, thank you."

…

It was morning when I next awoke. I awoke slowly and naturally, enjoying the pleasant warmth of the winter sunlight coming into the room through the window. I was lying on my right-hand side, which meant that I must've rolled over in my sleep.

I sat up slowly, taking care not to hurt my arm. I pressed the call button and a moment later, a nurse entered my room.

"You're up early," the nurse commented, smiling. "What would you like?"

"May I have breakfast, please? I slept through dinner last night."

The nurse picked up my chart to verify that. "Yes… Doctor Fisher has left a note here, saying to not disturb you, and to let you wake up naturally. Here's today's breakfast menu."

A few minutes later, the nurse was just leaving my room with my breakfast order, when Dr Fisher entered. He also smiled when he saw me sitting up.

"Feeling better?"

"Physically, yes," I replied. "Emotionally… Well, I'm not really sure."

"I see. Well, I've got some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that I'm releasing you today. The bad news is that your brother can't pick you up. He's had to take your cousin to the airport, so Nurse Flood has agreed to come and collect you. She'll be here at eight-thirty."

I forced myself to smile. "Thank you."

"I just hope that the next time I see you back here, it's to have your cast removed. Speaking of which, I'm going to put a fresh fibreglass cast back on your arm before you leave today. That neoprene cast isn't strong enough to support your arm under everyday conditions."

I nodded in understanding. The nurse returned then with my breakfast.

…

At precisely eight-thirty, Helen arrived to collect me. I'd changed into casual clothes, and I'd packed up all of my belongings into my overnight bag. Helen knocked softly on the open door to my hospital room.

"Are you ready to come home now?" she asked teasingly.

"Yes. Thanks for offering to take me."

"It's not a problem. I needed to come here anyway to pick up some medical supplies."

"Doctor Fisher just needs to re-cast my arm before we go. I'm just waiting for him to finish his rounds."

Dr Fisher came to my room a few minutes later. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sam. I've brought everything with me, so sit down on the bed, please."

I did so, and Dr Fisher set about removing the neoprene cast from my arm. I frowned when I saw my arm. The stitches had almost dissolved, and my arm had shrivelled a bit. Helen helped Dr Fisher put the new fibreglass cast around my arm.

"I hope you don't mind having a red cast again," Dr Fisher said. "Charlie said it was your favourite colour."

"He's right. Red is my favourite colour," I replied. "I suppose you two now want me to spend the rest of the day quietly at home?"

"Ideally," Dr Fisher said. "But, knowing you as well as I do now, I know there's probably not much chance of that happening."

"Actually, I have some things I need to do at home, so I'm happy to follow your orders."

"For once," Helen muttered. But I saw that she was smiling.

…

Later that afternoon, I was sitting at my desk at home, typing out everything I could remember about my accident, on my laptop computer. It wasn't easy to type with my left arm in a sling, so I'd removed the sling, which enabled me to type with both hands. Every now and again, I'd glance at the fingers on my left hand, amazed that they'd apparently healed overnight.

 _I guess that is one mystery that may never be solved._

It took me a couple of hours to write out my statement. I was just editing it when I heard a car pull up outside. Glancing out of the window, I saw that it was Charlie's car. He got out, and I saw him approach my front door. Reluctantly, I got up, and I opened my front door just as Charlie was reaching for the knocker.

"You must've seen me coming," Charlie said as he came inside. I closed the door behind him while he wiped the snow off his shoes on the mat. "I'm glad Helen was able to bring you home."

"It wasn't easy getting rid of her," I admitted. "She was hovering over me like mum used to whenever I was sick."

Charlie looked at me in surprise, but he decided not to push the subject. "Have you been resting?"

I nodded. "I've had a nap, and now I'm working on my statement for the police. I have just under two weeks to form my case with Mr Harrison for the disciplinary hearing. By the way, what took you so long to get back from Cardiff?"

"There was a bad accident westbound on the M4 this morning, so I decided to spend a few hours shopping in the city. I hope there wasn't anything you needed?"

I shook my head.

"Have you had any lunch?"

"I had a frozen meal, but I don't have much food let. Could you please do me a favour and buy some groceries for me? I've written out a list, and here's twenty-five pounds. That should be enough, but if it isn't, I'll reimburse you when you get back."

Charlie took the list and the money. "Sure, I can do that for you. I'll be back in about half an hour."

"Thanks, Charlie," I said as he left. Then, I picked up my mobile phone, and I rang Station Officer Steele.

"Hello?" Station Officer Steele said when he answered.

"Good afternoon, sir. It's Sam."

"I know. I heard that you were back home now."

"Yes, I am. I was just working on my statement for the police, and I was wondering if you could tell me when Mercury was last serviced, please?"

"Sure, just a moment."

I listened as Station Officer Steele rummaged around in the filling cabinet for a moment.

"Right, I've found the file. Mercury was last serviced four months ago, in October, by Joe. He changed the tyres, checked the alignment and the brakes, and he changed the oil. Is that all you need to know?"

"For now, thank you, sir." I hung up my phone and I wrote down in my notebook what Station Officer Steele had just told me.

 _I'm going to have to contact Mr Harrison about this clue. I just hope that my hunch is correct._


End file.
